STRESS-PALOOZA
Today tops off what has been an alternately exciting, frustrating, and stressful week. Rarely have I had a week where every day brought new stressful, frustrating, expensive experiences. Here goes...
As you know, this was the week we moved Cam down to Maryland to start his new job. So, on Monday I went to work, knowing that Tuesday I would have to take Annalisse to Syracuse to move her belongings out of her current apartment and into her new apartment, as she had to vacate by July 31 (a development I learned about only the Friday before). STRESSOR #1. As a result, we headed out to Syracuse with the intention of simply moving her stuff from her old apartment to her new, but NO: It turns out we had to completely empty out her current apartment and move everything home since she could not get into her new apartment until after August 20 (STRESSOR #2).
Now, all of you know I'm a good planner. I had emailed the rental office earlier in the month asking about this process, but never received an answer. It would have been okay to move everything home had I know that was the process. As a result, I did not have the proper car and was able to only take a limited load back to Rochester. In a panic I called Mom S. to ask if she would be able to come back to Syracuse the next day (when we were scheduled to leave for MD) to take "the rest." She was a lifesaver, and she and Annalisse were able to bring everything back ~ and it's all now in my front hall (STRESSOR #3).
Moving on to our trip to Maryland: the trip down was fine, and we had a nice night in Rockville Town Center, and a delicious Tapas dinner. We got up on Thursday morning and headed over to Cam's apartment to get him moved in. It was suuuuuppppeeeerrr hot and muggy out. We got all his stuff in, EXCEPT the bed he bought at IKEA last August (which was falling apart little by little). Mark and Cam could not get it into the elevator, so they started to carry it up seven flights - they made it up one flight and that was enough. Into the dumpster it went! Now Cam does not have a bed, just mattress to sleep on, and we'll have to figure that one out (A LESSER STRESSOR - #4). On the plus side: Cam's apartment is really nice and quite big for a studio. It's pretty bare but I'm sure it will fill up quickly.
The plan for the afternoon was to take the car in for a MD inspection at 2pm. The inspection lasted almost two hours and cost $93, and at the end the car did not pass because of a bent rim. The cost to fix it: $730. Ummmm, no. (STRESSOR #5.) A salesman Mark had been chatting with overheard our situation, and got right on the phone to a salvage yard where he was able to find a new rim for $200. That's more like it, although we also were not expecting to pay $200 for a car repair. So, in the pouring rain we drove over to the salvage yard and handed over $200 in cash. The rim would be in early the next day, after which we would need to take it to tire service to be installed (STRESSOR #6). Tensions were high that day as we got continually soaking wet going from place to place in torrential rain (STRESSOR #7), not to mention the hellish traffic (STRESSOR #8).
After the tire debacle, we headed to IKEA to pick up some supplies for Cam's apartment, then had a very nice dinner at a pub in Gaithersburg. That was a bright spot for the day.
On Friday, we got a call around 9:30am that the rim was ready for pickup. Mark went to take care of that while Cam and headed to Target to get more apartment supplies. Poor Mark: he picked up the rim then had to wait for almost 2 hours to get it mounted, after which he went BACK to the Honda dealership to get the tire cleared for inspection. He sat there another hour and was not able to get the car in (STRESSOR #9), then had to leave to pick us up for Cam's appointment at the NIH to get his badge picture taken (a bright spot of the trip: the NIH is huge and very cool - like a college campus).
After the NIH, we went back to the Honda dealer, waited another hour-and-a-half for them to update the inspection, then RACED to the motor vehicle department at 4pm only to be told we could not transfer the car because Cam did not have a Maryland license (STRESSOR #10). Two days wasted running around and we could not accomplish one of our major goals.
Now, Cam has to get a license, and we discovered that he needs his Social Security Card for the process. I got home yesterday afternoon and the card is no where to be found (STRESSOR #11), so he has to go in person for a new one...and the office closes at 4pm each day (STRESSOR #12), which will be difficult since he is just starting his job and will not get out until 5pm. Maybe on his lunch hour? Who knows at this point.
And for those of you keeping track at home, because the car is still registered to me and not yet turned over to Cam, I cannot get another car yet, and will have to wait until all of this is resolved (STRESSOR #13). It should be interesting as Mark and I juggle car pooling for the foreseeable future. Looks like I'll be renting a car for our trip to North Carolina in two weeks.
I am really ready to hand all of this over to the Universe. I'm so incredible frustrated and cranky, and looking forward to a new day tomorrow, and to bid this crappy week adieu.
As you know, this was the week we moved Cam down to Maryland to start his new job. So, on Monday I went to work, knowing that Tuesday I would have to take Annalisse to Syracuse to move her belongings out of her current apartment and into her new apartment, as she had to vacate by July 31 (a development I learned about only the Friday before). STRESSOR #1. As a result, we headed out to Syracuse with the intention of simply moving her stuff from her old apartment to her new, but NO: It turns out we had to completely empty out her current apartment and move everything home since she could not get into her new apartment until after August 20 (STRESSOR #2).
Now, all of you know I'm a good planner. I had emailed the rental office earlier in the month asking about this process, but never received an answer. It would have been okay to move everything home had I know that was the process. As a result, I did not have the proper car and was able to only take a limited load back to Rochester. In a panic I called Mom S. to ask if she would be able to come back to Syracuse the next day (when we were scheduled to leave for MD) to take "the rest." She was a lifesaver, and she and Annalisse were able to bring everything back ~ and it's all now in my front hall (STRESSOR #3).
Moving on to our trip to Maryland: the trip down was fine, and we had a nice night in Rockville Town Center, and a delicious Tapas dinner. We got up on Thursday morning and headed over to Cam's apartment to get him moved in. It was suuuuuppppeeeerrr hot and muggy out. We got all his stuff in, EXCEPT the bed he bought at IKEA last August (which was falling apart little by little). Mark and Cam could not get it into the elevator, so they started to carry it up seven flights - they made it up one flight and that was enough. Into the dumpster it went! Now Cam does not have a bed, just mattress to sleep on, and we'll have to figure that one out (A LESSER STRESSOR - #4). On the plus side: Cam's apartment is really nice and quite big for a studio. It's pretty bare but I'm sure it will fill up quickly.
The plan for the afternoon was to take the car in for a MD inspection at 2pm. The inspection lasted almost two hours and cost $93, and at the end the car did not pass because of a bent rim. The cost to fix it: $730. Ummmm, no. (STRESSOR #5.) A salesman Mark had been chatting with overheard our situation, and got right on the phone to a salvage yard where he was able to find a new rim for $200. That's more like it, although we also were not expecting to pay $200 for a car repair. So, in the pouring rain we drove over to the salvage yard and handed over $200 in cash. The rim would be in early the next day, after which we would need to take it to tire service to be installed (STRESSOR #6). Tensions were high that day as we got continually soaking wet going from place to place in torrential rain (STRESSOR #7), not to mention the hellish traffic (STRESSOR #8).
After the tire debacle, we headed to IKEA to pick up some supplies for Cam's apartment, then had a very nice dinner at a pub in Gaithersburg. That was a bright spot for the day.
On Friday, we got a call around 9:30am that the rim was ready for pickup. Mark went to take care of that while Cam and headed to Target to get more apartment supplies. Poor Mark: he picked up the rim then had to wait for almost 2 hours to get it mounted, after which he went BACK to the Honda dealership to get the tire cleared for inspection. He sat there another hour and was not able to get the car in (STRESSOR #9), then had to leave to pick us up for Cam's appointment at the NIH to get his badge picture taken (a bright spot of the trip: the NIH is huge and very cool - like a college campus).
After the NIH, we went back to the Honda dealer, waited another hour-and-a-half for them to update the inspection, then RACED to the motor vehicle department at 4pm only to be told we could not transfer the car because Cam did not have a Maryland license (STRESSOR #10). Two days wasted running around and we could not accomplish one of our major goals.
Now, Cam has to get a license, and we discovered that he needs his Social Security Card for the process. I got home yesterday afternoon and the card is no where to be found (STRESSOR #11), so he has to go in person for a new one...and the office closes at 4pm each day (STRESSOR #12), which will be difficult since he is just starting his job and will not get out until 5pm. Maybe on his lunch hour? Who knows at this point.
And for those of you keeping track at home, because the car is still registered to me and not yet turned over to Cam, I cannot get another car yet, and will have to wait until all of this is resolved (STRESSOR #13). It should be interesting as Mark and I juggle car pooling for the foreseeable future. Looks like I'll be renting a car for our trip to North Carolina in two weeks.
I am really ready to hand all of this over to the Universe. I'm so incredible frustrated and cranky, and looking forward to a new day tomorrow, and to bid this crappy week adieu.
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