The apartment looks huge now. The second bedroom, which we used as an office/box storage room is almost totally empty, with only my desk left in it. The living room feels larger as well, with the bookcases gone. I’m starting to wonder how the new apartment is going to feel with so little in it, but I think that’s a problem I can handle.

The big move is next weekend, and given how many people have agreed to help, it should go smoothly. Hopefully I’ll be doing the walk-through and getting the keys either Tuesday or Wednesday, then I can move the boxes on my own, just leaving the furniture for Saturday. The only piece I think is going to be a pain is the sofa, as the sleeper section is rather heavy.

I’m really looking forward to getting out of here.

We also stopped at Lowe’s to pick up some shelving to put in the carport storage at the apartment. It looks like some of my stuff was water-damaged in there, so I wanted to get everything up off the floor. I may go back for a second unit tomorrow, as it fits very nicely and makes that space much more usable. I should move the Christmas stuff into there and see how much room is left first though.

Tomorrow I intend to pack up my books, largely to clear off the bookshelves that they currently inhabit, as Delia will be taking them. I’ll also be purchasing my new vacuum cleaner. Would have done it today, but I didn’t think the box would fit in the back of the Prius along with my storage unit goodies. I’ve also been looking at some new furniture for the new apartment, and I think I’ll finally be able to execute my plan of buying some real furniture for the bedroom.

Speaking of which, I am simply amazed at how much less I’m already spending. My weekly expenditures for dining along have dropped to almost nothing, spending about $50/wk on groceries instead of $250/wk on eating out. My savings are nearly back to the levels they were at before I met Delia, and I should be on track for putting a down payment on some property in early 2010. With my reduced space requirements, I’m thinking the condos I looked at in Derry would be perfect. I loved the floor plan, I only hope there’s an opening when I’m ready to buy.

I am somewhat distressed by the lack of forward progress on Delia’s out-moving. Near as I can tell, she’s taken her computer, most of the stuff from her bathroom, a couple of food items, and roughly half of the giant pile in the bedroom. I’m hoping there will be some significant progress this week. I would really like to stop having the remnants of her life strewn about my abode.

I think she was right about me not being happy either. On average, I have been feeling far better about my life since she left. I feel free. I’m no longer trying to keep anyone else happy. I do what I want, when I want, how I want. What to do for dinner? Throw together some ground beef, chips, cheese, and poof! Nachos! Good enough for me, and cheaper than eating out every night. I think many of my reservations about buying a new place were grounded in my displeasure with the state of our apartment. Why would I buy a place with this person if she’s going to treat it like she treats the place? A place to sleep, surrounded by piles of unworn clothes and unopened boxes, getting surly whenever asked to do anything to better her surroundings, and just generally putting no effort into anything.

I think I’m coming across as being rather negative toward her, but I really do feel like my personal life has been stalled for years, and now I can get back into gear and do all the things I’ve wanted to do.

PS Pseudo-scientific research has discovered that Danger Mouse is really f-ed up, to subjects both drunk and sober. I still love it, but watching it now, 20 years later, it just boggles the mind.

The only tricky bit is I have to move entirely on February 28th, and for that, I will need help. I know I’ve been relying on my friends a lot lately, but anyone willing and able to help with the move would be greatly appreciated, and I’ll gladly pay for a grand feast in your honor once the task is done.

My plan is to spend my spare time in the next month reducing the amount of stuff I have to move. I intend to donate most of my books to the local library (feel free to look over the list and claim anything you’d like,) donate my excess clothing to Goodwill or something similar, and give away my excess computer junk that I rarely touch anymore.

I don’t feel like it’s going to be all that bad. I have a few pieces of large furniture (bed, couch, a couple desks) but not that much little stuff to move. I’m looking forward to the fresh start in a new place all to myself.

After chatting with Big Dave though, I am hopeful about being able to move into another unit in the same complex. Apparently his daughter transferred to another unit a couple of months into a year lease. I will definitely need to talk to them about that. Delia has also expressed an interest in taking over the current apartment, so she wouldn’t have to move all her stuff. No idea how the management company will want to deal with that, as currently my name is the only one on the lease.

Unfortunately, this is all hitting at the same time as a ton of stuff going on at work, so I’m unable to take any time off to deal with moving.

I’ve been considering Manchester Place, as it is literally right next door to work. Their lowest cost 1 bedroom unit is $1,155/month, a savings of $280/mo. And that’s not counting the reduction in driving, as I’d only need to use the Prius on the weekends.

Also considering some other cost cutting measures, dropping television service, the TiVo subscription, GameFly, dropping Netflix to the 1 disc plan, and such.

That’s a yearly savings of $5,304, which I intend to throw towards a down payment on a townhouse once my next lease is up. The Comcast doesn’t drop to zero as I intend to keep my own Internet access, although I could possibly just leech off of the connection at work. The location is only a couple of blocks from the CO as well, so DSL is a strong possibility.

We shall see. I intend to make some phone calls tomorrow. There’s also a townhouse rental place on the north end of the city that looks interesting.

karnil

absinthexl

anuttycoffee

kat_ra

kittybrat

metron2001

redenife

jpallan

teddymackinnon

Anyway, thanks to all who helped, we’re planning to throw a party once we get unpacked and settled a bit, probably near the end of March or early April, depending on how things go. I’ll also take some pictures and get them posted as soon as I remember too.

And now I collapse again.

I think there’s something seriously wrong with the world.

Also, I’m tired of packing. My desk and computer bits and pieces are all in boxes now, save for the actively running system on which I am typing. I packed the foodstuffs and spices from the kitchen, but the dishes still need to be boxed, and I still need to dismantle the entertainment center. I am so not ready for this move. But it’s happening, somehow it’ll all work out, and by Monday, all my stuff will either be in the garbage receptacle or in the new apartment.

A few weeks back I was arrested for driving under a suspended license. My license had been suspended due to failing to pay a ticket for an invalid inspection. Yesterday was my court date, and everything’s cleared up now. I’ve got my license back and my registration is valid again. During the time I wasn’t driving my car the battery managed to die, however.

Normally, changing a car battery is pretty simple, but of course, this time had to be difficult. First, I had a fun time just getting the old battery disconnected, mostly due to not having the right tools (trip to Sears fixed that) and the amount of corrosion on the terminal (baking soda and water are your friends). Then, when putting the new battery in, I managed to break one of the terminal clamps. Ford, for some reason, decided to use a kindof odd clamp. Rather than having a normal bolt going perpendicular to the terminal, tightening the clamp down, they had an odd T-bolt with angled parts on the bottom that forced the clamp closed as you tightened it down. It didn’t work very well, and I managed to snap the bolt. So, I also got to make another trip to Home Depot and the auto parts store to grab a new terminal and a hacksaw to cut the old terminal off and replace it. I got it in the end though. All happy now, yay!

In other news, work is going pretty well, I managed to get our notification system working again today, though I still have to do some work on it over the weekend, I think things are starting to look up again.

Also, it looks like we’ll be moving next weekend, hopefully into the apartment on the other side of the river above kyotemusings. I still need to give my application to the landlady and do whatever paperwork, and figure out where to get the deposit and first month’s rent from, but I think it’ll come together. I guess I should do the standard call-to-arms for moving help. We can probably use all the help we can get moving stuff next weekend. We’re hoping to get most of the boxes and stuff over on Saturday, then rent a U-Haul to get the furniture on Sunday. We also need to go down to Lowell to get the table and chairs that MA Dan is letting us have.

I guess that’s about it. I should take some shots of the new place and post them in the not too distant future.