2 years with Rusty

It's hard to believe but I have had Rusty for two years now! On one hand it seems like he has always been with me, on the other hand it seems like I just got him. I've been thinking back about my time with him which of course made me think back to the summer I got him and the fact that it was my last summer living in Utah. Rusty made my move across the country much easier to deal with and has helped keep me sane. He was the only thing that stood between me and life as a hermit when I was reading for comps. I've talked to far more people than I would ever have without him- whenever I take him for walks people stop me and ask questions about him or ask to pet him (or they ignore me completely and have a conversation with him- which is always amusing) and he is a great travel companion as well, people in airports aren't usually all that friendly- I think flying is too stressful now- but they are far more friendly when they see Rusty!

This post is all about Rusty but I'll post some other reminiscences about the last 2 years in another post....

My first week as a Virginian

I've been here a week, it's kinda odd it doesn't feel like a week.

So far I've managed to unpack and set up the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room. And the office is very nearly done. The kitchen is still pretty much a disaster but it's unpacked- it's just been the dumping ground- where things go until they find a home. I'm sick of unpacking- but at least the end is in sight.

Rusty has gotten more vaccinations and is now licensed in Virginia- he is now officially a Williamsburg dog. I'm not a Virginian yet but Rusty is. Here are a couple pictures (you can probably see what I mean about him looking like a lamb).

 

I've also met with my advisor and the graduate advisor and will meet with my mentor soon. I can't believe school starts in a couple days, I'm ready but I'm not (more not). I guess it's good that school is starting before I've had the chance to get bored but at the same time- I'm enjoying settling into my place slowly and being able to hang out with Rusty without having to worry too much about being anyplace at any certain time. My life is about to get really hectic. It'll be my first semester as a TA and my first semester at a new school. Apparently it's going to be an intense semester with the classes I've got lined up (according to my advisor).     

Neighbors

I haven't been here a whole week and I've already met more of my neighbors here than I did in the 7 years I lived in my last place. I always waved or said hello to my old neighbors but we never exchanged names or anything and one neighbor wouldn't even acknowledge me when I said hello! Granted I never went out of my way to introduce myself to them either.

But I've already met two of my neighbors here. I was walking up the stairs behind the neighbor who lives across the hall from me and Rusty kind of facilitated the meeting by trying to push his way in front of her. And then yesterday the neighbor from downstairs brought me a cupcake and welcomed me to the building! How nice is that? 

Moving Tip Number 1

Keep scissors with you. If you pack your scissors then you won't be able to cut open the box to get the scissors. 

My dad gave me a tool kit as a going away gift and it has some very nice scissors but unfortunately they were in a shrink wrapped container and I couldn't get it open without scissors. So I went to the store and bought a pair of scissors but I have since misplaced them. Luckily I first used them to open the shrink wrap so I had a back up pair. 

more about moving

Ok, so I had planned on posting something everyday of the move but I was way too tired by the time we got in to the hotels so I didn't. Also, I took several pictures but now I can't remember where they were taken- the trip kind of went by in a blur- lot's of driving, very few stops, basically way too many hours in a car. But I'll try to remember some of the highlights.

I took this picture in Wyoming, sorry if anyone from Wyoming is reading this- but Wyoming is boring (at least the part we drove through), this was about as exciting as it got.

I think this picture is from Kansas...

I believe we came across this sign in Missouri- non-Utahns might not appreciate this but I think Ogden and Manhattan on the same sign is oddly amusing...

Here's West Virginia (at least I'm pretty sure- like 95%)

I'm fairly sure this picture was taken in Virginia- but it might be West Virginia...

And this is Virginia- it's kind of hard to see but there are mountains in Virginia- they don't look like Utah mountains- but they were still nice to see...

Of course, I also have some great pictures of Rusty. He did amazingly well in the car, for the first two days he stayed in the front seat- the back seat was stacked full of boxes and luggage, for the most part he sat on one of our laps but for several hours he slept on the center console kinds of wrapped around a drink and the gear shift.

On the third day we decided to eat breakfast in a restaurant instead of in the car and while he was alone in the car he figured out he could get more comfortable in the back seat on top of the luggage- I eventually put his little bed on top of the suitcases and he snuggled back there all day.  

the first day of driving

We made it to Denver. It was a rough day, we were able to get on the road at noon and I got to see my sisters and my nieces before we headed out and I'm glad we waited. Wyoming was as boring as expected but I was able to entertain myself with an audiobook that was better than I thought it'd be. Rusty was very well behaved considering that we were in the car so long with very short breaks. Of course when we got to the hotel he lifted his leg on the bed (near the floor not actually on the bed). And so the adventure begins.

(I actually wrote this post a couple days ago but had issues posting so I'm posting it now... more to come... hopefully soon).  

Delayed start

It's a long story but basically my sisters and neices got stuck in Hawaii (the joys of flying stand-by) and won't get home until late this morning. So, instead of leaving at 5ish this morning, as planned, my dad and I will end up leaving closer to noon so we can see them before we leave. I re-figured our route and stops and changed our reservations to different hotels and we will still should arrive in Virginia at about the same time as planed- but we will have a couple really long days of driving. Good times.

Empty-ish condo

Yesterday I stopped by the condo- to straighten up a little before my sister got home and passed out at the mess- and I must say- it was strange (kind of like hiring movers). Even though all my sister's stuff is there, as well as more than half the furniture, it still felt so empty. It felt strange being there now that it's no longer my home. It's like I'm in limbo, I am a girl without a place to call home (aahh... sad).   

The Movers

Well, the movers have come and gone. It took far longer than I thought it would. I've never used movers before and I have to say it was strange. I wasn't sure if I should help so I started to but then felt like I was kind of in the way and I was paying them so why should I have to carry heavy stuff, and then (seeing as I'm a social historian) I started to think about what hiring movers said about class, and well, it was a downward spiral from there. So I basically stood around and occasionally helped but mostly tried to stay out of the way.    

On the bright side of this whole moving thing I will be escaping the bird. A couple years ago a pigeon (at least I assume its a pigeon- what do I know about birds) took up residence on my bedroom window sill and has used it as his home base ever since, making noise, making me think I had a mouse, cooing- or warbling whatever pigeons do, and pooping all over everything (sorry about the strong language there). I began calling him DB which is short for Damn Bird, and my sister called him Tom (she didn't hate the bird as much as me likely because he wasn't living in her window and waking her up). We tried to get rid of the bird, we got a fake owl and some fake snakes- both of which were supposed to scare away birds- both of which failed miserably. The one thing that worked was bringing over my parents dog Angel (these were pre-Rusty days) and this was only a temporary fix- about an hour after Angel left he was back. But since he has been in my life for several years now, I thought I should include a picture of him here... so here's DB aka Tom.   

Volunteering

Today was my last day volunteering at the VA. It's the beginning of  a long week of goodbyes. Today was nice, they gave me a certificate of appreciation and my supervisor seems sad to see me go. Now I need to decide wether to volunteer near my new home. I would like to volunteer somewhere but I'm a little worried about overloading myself and not sure what to do. I'm sure volunteering at the VA there would be a very different experience than here. 

Music

Music is seriously amazing. I've been kinda down all afternoon (the impending move is getting to me) so I choose some upbeat songs for the drive home and it cheered me up- I may burst into tears at any moment but it is far less likely now than it was just an hour ago. Now I'm going to fix myself a drink which may help as much as the music.

Settling in... kind of

Rusty and I are settling into our temporary home. This may actually be working out for the best, I've been able to get a lot more packing done- I'm almost done! (I still hate packing- if anything I hate it even more as I get closer to the end). Rusty seems confused but he has already found a favorite spot to sleep.

I'm not sure Angel, my parents dog, likes having us around. I've been trying to get a picture of them together - this is the best I've managed so far- I know it's not a very good picture- but what can you do?

You can't go to a bar to celebrate an alphabet crown

I'm no longer a home owner. It's a huge relief but sad at the same time. All the changes in my life are bitter-sweet, I'm so excited about moving but at the same time it will be really hard to move and leave my family and friends behind. 

Other exciting news- my sister is now a home owner (it is not a coincidence that she became a home owner the day I stopped being one) and my niece got her alphabet crown at school (which means she has mastered the alphabet). My family has a lot to celebrate today.