INTERESTING TIMES

Woke up at 4am eastern time (1am Pacific time) to fly back to the left coast. Due to a coffee mistake (didn't ask and was served caffeinated at 8pm) I slept only 2 hours. Wow does that make for a long day. Arrived in Portland at 10:30am local time, and was grouchy by noon and incoherent by 5pm. Went to bed at 7pm and slept 11 hours, and I feel almost normal this morning. Phew!

So I woke up in the upstairs room here at Will's, which is to be my new home. The room that was the bedroom in this house will become my office. It is a pleasant room and will be even nicer once I can clear the old juju from it. From this day forward any time I use something from my old apartment it is moving to Will's house.

My old apartment smells like cat shit, has no toilet paper or paper towels on the roll, has vines growing into the stairway, has compost rotting in the kitchen, and is generally covered in cat hair and disgusting to me. It quickly becomes apparent how much energy I put into keeping the place clean, and how quickly things will decline in my absence. Emily's new boyfriend, the unemployed smoker from Jersey, is still hanging around. He avoids my eye. He may be the housemate she is thinking of having move in....a disaster in the making. The downstairs neighbors are very upset at her for making noise all night long every night, walking with heavy feet and moving furniture around at 4am. I don't know what she has been up to but I know that she is neurotic and the new boy is likely to aggravate that. I was a moderating presence.

So I have 9 days in PDX before I leave town for another adventure. In that time I am supposed to relocate my possessions from the apartment and clean it. I am leaving Kitten there until we return from Idaho. I hope she doesn't freak too much when the bed etc are removed. I will relocate her to Will's in June.

More later, hope you guys are well. I haven't read anything on LJ in a month or so, so if there has been some major happening in your life please let me know.

Made it. Actually I woke up at an overlook at 4am, about 250 miles from town, and drove in with the first wave of trucks. I was at the DEQ 5 minutes before opening to get my truck emissions checked. From there went straight to the DMV and got it registered. Call insurance to make sure it is extended. I have wheels until 9/2011. Thanks to Bill. So many mechanics flat out refused to even look at this truck, and Bill fixed it in a half day with $70 in parts. So I can go to the mountains when I want, now, instead of waiting and begging for rides.
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Wow long week. Last weekend was the business workshop, so I've been going for 12 straight days. I'm holding up mostly. The business classes actually bring me up, because they help me to realize that I actually stand a chance to succeed in business, rookie though I am. I have lots of good ideas. And people out there really need what I have to offer. And I'm not a spring chicken like many of my classmates.

Remember that I had heavy metal contamination? Right now I'm taking DMSA, chelating the lead and other metals out of my body. I'm feeling OK. My last challenge test showed that my lead levels are still pretty high, arsenic and mercury less but still in there. DMSA is very specific for lead, so I'm told it won't start taking out the mercury etc until the lead is mostly out. That could take awhile.

I'm headed out in a few minutes to go to an art opening! I haven't been "out" by myself in this town yet, but someone I know has some paintings in the show, and he invited me. I guess it's time that I get bold enough to ride the bus alone after dark when it does not involve school. I do it often enough for school events, and soon it will be dark the vast majority of hours in each day. I can't let night stop me.

What else? Well it was really cool to wake today to the news that Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize. It is a seal of approval on his way of expecting all parties to take responsibility for their actions and allow the respect accorded humanity for all. So WHAT if all he has done is talk. He has said out loud the things that have long needed to be said. Thank goodness somebody finally did. I hope his approach gains lots of steam from the award.

Last thing. I just posted a new housemate wanted ad on Craigslist and I already have three replies. I think Friday night is a good time to post. I'm going to wait until tomorrow night and then see about sorting and replying.

It just poured rain. The streets are full of water and petals. The kitten just walked by, meowing. I'm sitting on the floor in the nook by the window. I worked my last security shift of the quarter tonight. It was nice, just hanging out at school with nothing much going on. Good conversations. This is why I like working security. When it's your job to just sit by a door, people may come talk to you. And you have time to talk with them. It's very reaffirming. I feel fairly isolated much of the time. It's not easy to get people to have a substantive conversation about anything. There's so much militancy out there, people are so sure they are right that they don't care to entertain other points of view. They don't want to take the time to develop their own point of view. I am lucky to have intelligent, curious, openminded people in my life.
( braindump )

OK, here I will begin to list the nuts and bolts of the housemate contract that I will have my new housemate sign when she arrives on Saturday. Please comment and let me know what you think is essential to specify when allowing a stranger to move into your homespace. Thanks.
( notes )

Yesterday I did a few more home-making errands, such as buying a kettle that whistles so I won't burn any more pots on the stove. I bought a gallon each of vinegar and bleach, and cleaned my bathroom for the 3rd time. I washed the walls first with vinegar, then with bleach, and the green colored water revealed that I was actually removing the paint from the walls. I left a fan blowing out the window to remove the fumes. I cleaned under and behind everything, scrubbed the trim, pulled all the hair and bandaids out of the heating vents, washed all the towels and rugs, cleaned the litter box and took out the trash. After it was all done I had a hopeful moment that the smell would be gone, but it's still there. I can burn incense in there every day until I die and that smell will still be in there. I may try some commercial products that cover or "eat" odors.

So I remain open to other living arrangements.
( West Linn Days )

When I left this morning to run errands, I accidentally closed the kitten up in the attic. I didn't know she was up there, but being sneaky like she is, she takes her chances. I heard her meowing through the ceiling a few minutes ago and let her out. She went straight to the food dish.
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