Friday, February 27, 2009

Now What?

Now that the waiting game is over for the condo rental (which I will now just call "the condo"), I am in a holding pattern. I still need to sign the lease and pay my first month's rent (yes, I have to pay the WHOLE month up front, though I am only going to be living there for 10 days of the month. I get to pay less later in the year to make up for it. Strange Atlanta Rental Rules!) and then I will feel comfortable putting the cable, Internet and electricity in my name. The relocation company has this really cool "all-in-one" service that will change your address for the post office, tell you who your providers are for water, electric, cable, etc, pretty much giving you a one stop shop for all your needs. it really will save me time trying to track down who I need to call and what the best deal is- the relocation company will do it all for me.

I talked to TBO's vet yesterday about kitty valium for the drive down. She offered up a holistic version that we can try BEFORE the strong stuff, so I need to get over to the office and pick that and extra insulin up for the trip. I also need to make it to a Wal-mart or Target to get a new cat carrier for the trip - TBO DESTROYED his last one.

I re-reserved the elevators in my current apartment so I would not forget to do it in the next week or so. Now to get the non-refundable $150.00 deposit to the management office. Oof. Thank goodness today is payday!

I have been downing Gaviscon tablets the past few days for my ever-present heartburn. I know it is stress-related and I know once a lot of the pre-planning and planning is done I will feel better. Also, I am not sleeping very well right now. My brain is running all night long trying to make sure I remember to do everything. 

Thursday, February 26, 2009

On Moving to the South...

I found this funny post on Strictly Southern, and I am reposting it here without asking. I hope that it is OK.

On Moving to The South

If you are from the northern states and planning on visiting or moving
to the South, there are a few things you should know that will help you
adapt to the difference in lifestyles:


The North has sun-dried toe-mah-toes, the South has 'mater samiches.

The North has coffee houses, the South has Waffle Houses.

The North has dating services, the South has family reunions.

The North has switchblade knives, the South has Lee Press-on Nails.

The North has double last names, the South has double first names.

The North has Ted Kennedy, the South has Jesse Helms.

The North has an ambulance, the South has an amalance.

The North has Indy car races, the South has stock car races.

The North has Cream of Wheat, the South has grits.

The North has green salads, the South has collard greens.

The North has lobsters, the South has crawdads.

The North has the rust belt, the South has the Bible Belt.


If you run your car into a ditch, don't panic.  Four men in a four-wheel drive pickup truck with a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them, just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store....Don't buy food at this store.

Remember, "y'all" is singular, "all y'all" is plural, and "all y'all's" is plural possessive.

Get used to hearing "You ain't from 'round here, are ya?"

You may hear a Southerner say "Ought!" to a dog or child. This is short for "Y'all ought not do that!" and is the equivalent of saying "No!"

Don't be worried at not understanding what people are saying. They can't understand you either.

The first Southern statement to creep into a transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective "big'ol," as in "big'ol truck or "big'ol boy".  Most Northerners begin their Southern-influenced dialect this way. All of them are in denial about it.

The proper pronunciation you learned in school is no longer proper.

Be advised that "He needed killin" is a valid defense here.

If you hear a Southerner exclaim, "Hey, y'all, watch this," you should stay out of the way.
These are likely to be the last words he'll ever say.

If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the smallest accumulation of snow,
your presence is required at the local grocery store. It doesn't matter whether you need anything or not. You just have to go there.

When you come up on a person driving 15 mph down the middle of the road, remember that most folks learn to drive on a John Deere, and that is the proper speed and position for that vehicle.

Do not be surprised to find that many 10-year-olds own their own shotguns, they are proficient marksmen, and their mammas taught them how to aim.

In the South, we have found that the best way to grow a lush green lawn is to pour gravel on it and call it a driveway.

If you do settle in the South and bear children, don't think we will accept them as Southerners. After all, if the cat had kittens in the oven, we wouldn't call 'em biscuits!

Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Georgia.

There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Georgia, plus a couple no one has seen before.

If it grows, it sticks. If it crawls, it bites! .

It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy.

"Fixinto" is one word (I'm fixinto go to the store).

Sweet Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're 2 years old.

"Jeet?" is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"

Small update...ETA- I Mean BIG UPDATE!!

I called the condo company again this morning and the woman (Jen) who answers the phone told me that the guy (Charlie) who makes all the decisions was out sick yesterday so he was not able to call me. She tole me everything looked reeeeeeally good on my application and my references were great so though she could not tell me what the final out come was, all signs pointed strongly toward I got the apartment.

Charlie is supposed to call me yet this morning to give me the good news.

Once I get the place, I can begin putting the utilities in my name. ordering Internet and cable and having my magazines re-routed. I feel like I can move forward at that point instead of standing still.

I got my hair cut on Tuesday night and Trisha straightened it. I always look like such a different "kid" when my hair is super straight.my "normal" Starbucks Barista didn't immediately recognize me when she saw me this morning - she commented on how much she loved it straight AND curly. :-)

Maybe I will post a picture later when I finally have some makeup on!

ETA: JUST GOT FINAL APPROVAL ON THE APPT!!!!!! They called and I my &^#$&% phone didn't ring so they left a message --- WHOOOOOOPPPPIIIIIEEEE!!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

T-Minus 25 days

Today the moving company came to check out my apartment to see what they would be moving and to do the estimate. It was easy to watch someone tick off what I had to move, especially knowing I was not going to be doing the heavy lifting. :-)

TheBigOne (AKA the big orange cat - you all know his name, and since it is so different, I am going to call him TBO for short instead of his real name --to protect the innocent) stretched his neck out to sniff her for a second, then went back to hanging out on the bed and napping.

An attack cat I do not have. :-)

It didn't take too long for the lady to look everything over and head out.

I spent the rest of the day working from home and freaking out about the fact that the new condo owner hasn't called me back yet to tell me if I got the new place in ATL. I called them 2 times and they weren't in the office. I wanted to leave a message, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Darnit, they told me I would know by today and I didn't know.

They have already called my landlord and my job references, WHY.NOT.ME?!?!

I am also suffering from some massive heartburn tonight. I chalk it up to 5 things:
  • TONS O' Stress
  • and eating: Milk, Tomatoes, OJ and Garlic today, not particularly in that order.

I am fixin to (oh jebus, the Southern words are starting to leech in to my lexicon, HELP!) head to the bathroom to swig some Pepto.

48MV (my new signoff- you like??)


PS: Why do cats love straws so much? TBO spent most of today destroying 3 straws he found randomly around the house. I think this is the most exercise he has had in a year.

48 Month Vacation...

This is a blog for my family and friends to learn about my adventures during my "48 Month Vacation" - that is, my relocation to Atlanta from Chicago for my job. I won't be using any real names here - it's better to stay anonymous for now. But I will be posting fun stories, tales of woe and photos from my journey...

Atlanta is just a detour, Chicago is my home.