Going Home was nice. I even spent three whole nights there in Long Beach. Booya!
If you remember (points below) my family drove down to Monmouth and picked me up on Sunday the 13th. We stopped at a restaurant on the way home called Humps (no joke) and managed to make it through the icy rain without incident to Astoria. Where it was much colder, oddly enough.
Didn't do too terribly much my few days at home. I felt guilty, though. Corina's been begging me to see her for ages and i either forget or don't feel like it. Seriously, I should be more compassionate, you know? My best Friend Tosha skipped out on seeing me before I left for WOU and has avoided me since. So I know how Corina feels.
Monday, the 14th, I just sat in the family business on the computer all day long.
Tuesday I went to Astoria early to see Ai (Hi Ai!) and ostensibly to get my fencing gear.
Which I forgot.
We had fun, though. I bought a painting, we drew on the wall in the LIT room (building is about to be remodeled), then we caught a ride to Long Beach and went thrift shopping.
Wednesday I had errands. Mum gave me idiot proof directions (money for doctor in correspondingly labeled envelopes) and Gramma drove me. Hit up the dentis (which reminded me of my neglected wisdom teeth...), the Hospital clinic, and the family doctor (closed).
Gramma let me go into the bookstore while we waited (mistake) but I managed to restrain myself to only one bargain book.
The entire ride down from the house across the peninsula to the port Gramma nattered on and on and on about how much stuff I had (1 backpack of clothes, satchel with notebooks and novels, art portfolio, bag with big jacket and blanket and shoes, Camera) and wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise about it. Which was a little humorous, actually.
So when she asked me how in the world I was going to get home on Thursday, to my chagrin, I had to tell her I was not coming home.
The look on her face made me feel kind of guilty.
The plan (originally) was that I spend Sunday and possibly Monday night at home, spend a couple of days at John and Melanie's and then they would drive me to Long View on Friday so that I could take the bus to Yakima to see my Dad.
Mum knew this. I told her if I had time that I would visit a bit during the second half of the week...But instead she pleaded with me to stay Sunday Monday and Tuesday night. So I agreed.
Obviously I forgot to inform Gramma. She seemed a little...bitter that I wouldnt' be there for Christmas, but I've been planning to see my Dad for it for months, so there's no real excuse for that I'm thinking.
Next year I think I'll switch Thanksgiving and Christmas around, to make it fair.
The bus ride to Astoria was good (if one forgot the betrayed look on one's Gramma's face). Got to chat with the residential drunk, and my old chem study on the bus buddy. His name is Matt, and he's my bff Jake's older brother. Or one of them at least.
When I got off the bus I had to chase down the 12 (with Matt's help), which was....fun. Which meant I had no time to text Melanie and tell her I had arrived in Astoria and was on my way. So I showed up 3 blocks from her doorstep (stupid new bus regulations) to a house she wasn't in.
>.<;;;
Thank goodness Jake was.
Then we did Yule. Which was pretty cool. I got my two favorite flower pictures taken by Melanie in frames, and a bunch of other things. Including a fuzzy pillow case. :)
Thursday was devoted to retrieving my fencing bag (again). Did I mention that it's been in Clatsop's P.E. equipment room for nigh on a year? O.o Bravo Monica.
Every time I send someone to retrieve it they "can't find it". Which is total claptrap. Ai looked for me and confirmed it was right where it should've been.
Good girl. Thanks Ai!
Have I ever mentioned that I have terrible luck with Transportation?
I walked all the way down the bloody hill from the college to town because I missed the bus. Which wouldn't've been bad since all I had was a small painting (of a nude lady), my handy dandy messenger bag, and my fencing bag.
None of that is that heavy, but apparently all my walking in Monmouth adds up to much less than what I did in Astoria, so my shoulders were killing me and trying to convince me that I had 60 pounds on my back.
Not the 15 I actually had.
Did you know? I've never actually been shopping on Christmas before. The fiasco at Dennis Company on Black Friday is about as clase as I've ever gotten.
Deals Only was bloody well PACKED! I'm a pretty good sneaker, but I think I would've had trouble getting around the business, with my stupid fencing gear, even without all the people.
Those aisles are pretty small.
But back to my mission: Melanie gave me some cool photos for Yule, right? Well they were in some awesome frameless frames that she got for a couple dollars at Deals.
Jackpot.
I had already been planning on getting a few: one for mum, one for Gramma, one for John and Melanie....And if I could muster up a selfish bone in my body, maybe even one for me!
But on my way down the blasted hill from the college my Aunt Ester Called me. Did I mention that I have a Dad floating around somewhere? :D
Long story short:
1. He lives in Yakima Washington
2. Didn't meet him till I was 9.
3. I promised I'd visit for Christmas.
So Aunt Ester (his sister) called all hysterical like to find out when I was coming. I told her I'd be on a bus at 3 on Friday.
And she told me she'd already drawn the name of the person I had to give a gift to for Christmas.
That throws a small wrench in my gears.
So the frame for me became one for dad, and I tossed a 5th one into the mix for my cousin Melissa.
Whoever the heck that is. :P
Also, have I mentioned what kind of cutlery I've been using? Kids stuff :) They are in bright colors like neon green, blue, and pink. And are shaped like animals.
Really. I've been using them for months. I bought them at Deals :) Right now my favorite is a green knife with the alligator snout as the blade....
I bought a new pack for me, but decided to give it to my baby cousins.
Got my shopping done and trudged down tot he bus station. the good news is I bumped into Jake and got to chat. The bad news was that I got there as soon as my bus left.
End Part One
Regard from Purgatory,
Monica
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Post Script
Did I mention that I don't miss the construction one single bit?
Oh, and I can still hear the annoying school bell from our apartment >.<
Oh, and I can still hear the annoying school bell from our apartment >.<
The Big Move
Gods, that sounds like Max Keebles movie or whatever :)
Long time no chat, dearest fans!
Okay, yeah I remember: I'm actually talking to thin air. But that's all right! Apparently that's what us emos with blogs do anyways....Did I mention that apparently I'm an emo just because I have a blog? Watch out world! An emo who wears Argyle and colors is on their way!
So I actually moved over a week ago. Sorry for the incommunicado-ness. Moving day was Friday the...11th. And I had a little bit of internet on Saturday but didn't want to write my blog for some reason: I think it was because I was so blasted lonely.
But do you guys remember that Christmas party I went to? Well, not sure if I mentioned this (and I'm far too lazy to go back and check...), the man whose house we went to was Miki's Host Father. Nice man. At the moment I conveniently can't remember his name...Oh yeah! Dale :) He and his wife opened a Christian book store 2 blocks from our house (on the edge of campus) in early November. It's coming along quite nicely. But since Miki knows more adults in the area than I do she asked him if he could help us move. It took us two trips. Thank the Gods. I thought with all my junk it'd take much longer...Turned out that Mikiko has amassed a lot of stuff as well.
What in the world are you guys going to read my blog for, once she's gone? :D
After, we had to rush back to campus and check out of the dorms. Good thing I ended up rushing my bicycle to the apartment: I forgot my fish with my jacket and coat at the dorms >.<. Mkay, well I had brought my big tank and other fish a couple days before the move, but my beta Kyoushi needs quite a bit of attention so I left him until last.
Signed out, grabbed my fish, and went on a mission to use the last of my food money in the dining hall. Thanks to my amazing luck (yeah right) they had already cleared the majority of everything out. So I ended up buying strawberry milk, chocolate milk, two odwalla fruit smoothies, cereal, and a ham and cheese hot pocket.
I don't even like ham and cheese.
I still has 40 cents left :)
But since I've moved off campus my money doesn't roll over, it just goes....*Poof!*
So here I was, tossed out in the cold as it was getting dark with a large jacket, a spare jacket and hoodie, my blasted heavy laptop, my satchel stuffed to the brim with things I jacked from the dorm..., and a fish.
In a mayo jar with no lid, no less.
And of course that's when the person I had been trying to get a hold of for several hours called me and demanded my time.
"Moe-nica! It is Daisy! You wanted me to help with your fish? (I needed a fish-sitter) Can I come see your house now?"
Imagine this with a chinese accent for full effect.
Turns out that she was on my way, at Yang's the teriaki restaurant. Approximately a block and a half from where I was and 3 blocks from my house. So I stopped to pick her up. She was extremely fascinated by my fish. I told her that I wasn't going to give up my key to the apartment for her because Miki and I needed it (we only had one) and that likely my Plecostomus would survive and that I'd take my Dannio with me and here meet my Beta :)
I asked her to think about it and that he was easy: didn't need too much heat, just needed a few pellets of food a day, maybe a radio. And then we went to my apartment so I could show it off.
Mikiko was not there. She was off printing something at the library. Either that or doing internet type stuff: we only have electricity so far.
So I explained about Kyoushi and his care and how long she would have him and that he wasn't too terribly easy to kill unless you didn't feed him altogether, and said that I was leaving on Monday and that if she was interested I'd bring him to her then.
In fact, I was quite counting on having him for company, cause the Danny has ADHD and has no idea I exist, and Mr. P just glares. Kyou loves me and gets quite depressed if I don't talk to him. I was counting on having him when Miki left.
But as Daisy and her roomie Mandy started to leave I noticed Kyou in her hands! I have NO IDEA what happened. It kinda went like this.
"So I'll see you on Mon....Hey! Where's Kyou?"
"Moe-nica? You said he is easy, right? He will be okay. Bye bye!"
"Hey? Where are you taking my fish?"
Mandy: "Your house is very beautiful, Moe-nica!"
"Daisy! What about Kyou?"
"Do not worry Moe-nica! He will be fine."
"Hey!"
"We will see you after Christmas!" Chorus
"At least take his food!"
Door slams.
I felt robbed >.<;;;
So he left a few days early, and before I even got a chance to head back to Washington I was getting hysterical texts all about how he wasn't eating. I figured that a. he was a little cold in her house and lethargic b. she was feeding him too much and c. he missed me.
Which is hysterical cause when I took him to Gramma's for Thanksgiving (yes, he is a travel fish) he was just fine. Energetic even. But then that might have been because he had lots of other Betas to glare and posture at...:D
When Miki got home I was getting ready to watch a movie. That day I had spent 40 minutes in the bloody post office trying to get a package sent to my secret santa (the 11th was the last day for Xmas post to Canada), and stumbled across an estate sale (which I returned to after moving our stuff but before signing out of the dorm to get pots and pans...), and rented dvds from the library. I had started Shakespeare in Love round when Mikiko made something for herself for dinner (I had already eaten that hot pocket) and when I opened my door to invite her to watch the movie with me....She walked all over me with a bunch of papers in hand!
Actually, I'm quite thrilled that she feels welcome in my bedroom. It's so bloody huge compared to hers, I feel like I rattle around in it. Hers feels like a closet and causes me no end of guilt. In fact, I'd have her move into mine with me and shove a roomie into her room if not for the fact I know she needs her own room. My grandparents think I should put a bunkbed in my room and have a third roomie in there. It's an okay idea, but the only person I'd feel comfortable with sharing a room with now would be Miki. And she needs her own space. Our dynamic is going to be shaken up enough by a new place as it is: no need to make eachother uncomfortable with a 3rd person.
So she waltzes in with a bunch of paperwork and my heart fluttered at how she just made herself at home on my floor with all of it (and her dinner) and joined my movie with me. In fact? It was awesome. She only stayed for the first movie though: sadly. But we still had a blast. I'm getting used to having subtitles on movies now. Turns out that in asian countries just about all of their movies have subtitles whether they are in their language or not. So even though Miki understands English just fine, it's easier with the words because she's a creature of habit.
Several times after she left I caught myself watching movies with subtitles.....:)
Directly after the first movie she retreated to her room (ostensibly to arrange her peter perfect closet. It's a little scary, actually) and I started up Star Wars Episode 1....
I'm not entirely sure, but when I started humming to the theme song and reciting the prologue I think she threatened me from the other room :)
Miki left super early that Saturday. I think I woke up before she left. I vaguely remember stumbling through the hall without my glasses on early that morning and snuggling someone with smell good still wet hair.
I hope I didn't traumatize her too much. At least she left me a nice goodbye note on the counter :)
Saturday I didn't do too terribly much. I actually slept quite late in the day. Until noon I think. Maybe ten? Hmm...But I woke up after Miki left and decided to hunt down a computer on campus.
Ostensibly to write my blog: obviously, that did not happen. That week...It was extremely cold. I know I wrote about it, but I'm not sure you understand: It is 40 degrees with snow where I am write now. But there, in Monmouth?
10.
10 whole flipping degrees.
That Saturday that I ventured out for a computer I almost killed myself on my doorstep.
You know? I've never seen black ice before. In fact? I still haven't. Slipped on the bloody stuff a million times between my door and the school. It really is invisible. I adopted this funny little slide step to save my goose after slipping and almost getting hit crossing a road not a block from my home.
Go figure.
Isn't it that 80 percent of accidents occur within 30 blocks of your home? I'm sure that's an automobile accident where your driving your car...But still, these 'they' have a point :D
Sunday my family showed up.
After two night of watching movies and most of a day lazy about and another attempting to unpack (emphasis on attempt) they practically showed up without calling.
It felt like an invasion.
"Oh dear?! Is this the door frame you were talking about?" says the gramma who's looking at doors on the wrong floor entirely.
"Did you know that you do not have a shower curtain rod?" Bellows the grandfather from upstairs.
"Where do you want this?" Asks the mom.
"Wrong door gramma, yes I know! And Mum! Where I put it of course!"
"Shall I put your plant on the microwave, dear?"
"Why won't this door open?"
Where did you want this?"
"Gramma! A plant in the kitchen? Grampa please be careful I'll be right up!" whips head around. "Mum! Just put that down!"
Stomps upstairs as splitting of doorframe is heard.
"Oops I've got it."
"Where is the light?"
"Did you know that the dead bolt won't work?"
AAARGH!!!
All in all it was fun. I wish they could've stayed much longer. There were plenty of things I needed help with. Like gramma's advice on how to organize the cupboards and maybe some help putting all my food away. The doorframe fixed properly, not just temporarily, maybe just some company in general...
But they always get on MY case for rushing! They wanted in and out in an HOUR!
An HOUR! That's not nearly enough time to help me! Let me tell you, my frontroom is a mess and that's not because it's not organized. It's because it has no stuff of its own and all the stuff from the REST of the house is down there.
My bedroom? It's the sterotypical bachelor pad type. Cept I don't have the mattress to pile the safety barrier of clothes around yet. Anyone have a spare mattress?
Wish me luck and more info on my break will be here soon!
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Long time no chat, dearest fans!
Okay, yeah I remember: I'm actually talking to thin air. But that's all right! Apparently that's what us emos with blogs do anyways....Did I mention that apparently I'm an emo just because I have a blog? Watch out world! An emo who wears Argyle and colors is on their way!
So I actually moved over a week ago. Sorry for the incommunicado-ness. Moving day was Friday the...11th. And I had a little bit of internet on Saturday but didn't want to write my blog for some reason: I think it was because I was so blasted lonely.
But do you guys remember that Christmas party I went to? Well, not sure if I mentioned this (and I'm far too lazy to go back and check...), the man whose house we went to was Miki's Host Father. Nice man. At the moment I conveniently can't remember his name...Oh yeah! Dale :) He and his wife opened a Christian book store 2 blocks from our house (on the edge of campus) in early November. It's coming along quite nicely. But since Miki knows more adults in the area than I do she asked him if he could help us move. It took us two trips. Thank the Gods. I thought with all my junk it'd take much longer...Turned out that Mikiko has amassed a lot of stuff as well.
What in the world are you guys going to read my blog for, once she's gone? :D
After, we had to rush back to campus and check out of the dorms. Good thing I ended up rushing my bicycle to the apartment: I forgot my fish with my jacket and coat at the dorms >.<. Mkay, well I had brought my big tank and other fish a couple days before the move, but my beta Kyoushi needs quite a bit of attention so I left him until last.
Signed out, grabbed my fish, and went on a mission to use the last of my food money in the dining hall. Thanks to my amazing luck (yeah right) they had already cleared the majority of everything out. So I ended up buying strawberry milk, chocolate milk, two odwalla fruit smoothies, cereal, and a ham and cheese hot pocket.
I don't even like ham and cheese.
I still has 40 cents left :)
But since I've moved off campus my money doesn't roll over, it just goes....*Poof!*
So here I was, tossed out in the cold as it was getting dark with a large jacket, a spare jacket and hoodie, my blasted heavy laptop, my satchel stuffed to the brim with things I jacked from the dorm..., and a fish.
In a mayo jar with no lid, no less.
And of course that's when the person I had been trying to get a hold of for several hours called me and demanded my time.
"Moe-nica! It is Daisy! You wanted me to help with your fish? (I needed a fish-sitter) Can I come see your house now?"
Imagine this with a chinese accent for full effect.
Turns out that she was on my way, at Yang's the teriaki restaurant. Approximately a block and a half from where I was and 3 blocks from my house. So I stopped to pick her up. She was extremely fascinated by my fish. I told her that I wasn't going to give up my key to the apartment for her because Miki and I needed it (we only had one) and that likely my Plecostomus would survive and that I'd take my Dannio with me and here meet my Beta :)
I asked her to think about it and that he was easy: didn't need too much heat, just needed a few pellets of food a day, maybe a radio. And then we went to my apartment so I could show it off.
Mikiko was not there. She was off printing something at the library. Either that or doing internet type stuff: we only have electricity so far.
So I explained about Kyoushi and his care and how long she would have him and that he wasn't too terribly easy to kill unless you didn't feed him altogether, and said that I was leaving on Monday and that if she was interested I'd bring him to her then.
In fact, I was quite counting on having him for company, cause the Danny has ADHD and has no idea I exist, and Mr. P just glares. Kyou loves me and gets quite depressed if I don't talk to him. I was counting on having him when Miki left.
But as Daisy and her roomie Mandy started to leave I noticed Kyou in her hands! I have NO IDEA what happened. It kinda went like this.
"So I'll see you on Mon....Hey! Where's Kyou?"
"Moe-nica? You said he is easy, right? He will be okay. Bye bye!"
"Hey? Where are you taking my fish?"
Mandy: "Your house is very beautiful, Moe-nica!"
"Daisy! What about Kyou?"
"Do not worry Moe-nica! He will be fine."
"Hey!"
"We will see you after Christmas!" Chorus
"At least take his food!"
Door slams.
I felt robbed >.<;;;
So he left a few days early, and before I even got a chance to head back to Washington I was getting hysterical texts all about how he wasn't eating. I figured that a. he was a little cold in her house and lethargic b. she was feeding him too much and c. he missed me.
Which is hysterical cause when I took him to Gramma's for Thanksgiving (yes, he is a travel fish) he was just fine. Energetic even. But then that might have been because he had lots of other Betas to glare and posture at...:D
When Miki got home I was getting ready to watch a movie. That day I had spent 40 minutes in the bloody post office trying to get a package sent to my secret santa (the 11th was the last day for Xmas post to Canada), and stumbled across an estate sale (which I returned to after moving our stuff but before signing out of the dorm to get pots and pans...), and rented dvds from the library. I had started Shakespeare in Love round when Mikiko made something for herself for dinner (I had already eaten that hot pocket) and when I opened my door to invite her to watch the movie with me....She walked all over me with a bunch of papers in hand!
Actually, I'm quite thrilled that she feels welcome in my bedroom. It's so bloody huge compared to hers, I feel like I rattle around in it. Hers feels like a closet and causes me no end of guilt. In fact, I'd have her move into mine with me and shove a roomie into her room if not for the fact I know she needs her own room. My grandparents think I should put a bunkbed in my room and have a third roomie in there. It's an okay idea, but the only person I'd feel comfortable with sharing a room with now would be Miki. And she needs her own space. Our dynamic is going to be shaken up enough by a new place as it is: no need to make eachother uncomfortable with a 3rd person.
So she waltzes in with a bunch of paperwork and my heart fluttered at how she just made herself at home on my floor with all of it (and her dinner) and joined my movie with me. In fact? It was awesome. She only stayed for the first movie though: sadly. But we still had a blast. I'm getting used to having subtitles on movies now. Turns out that in asian countries just about all of their movies have subtitles whether they are in their language or not. So even though Miki understands English just fine, it's easier with the words because she's a creature of habit.
Several times after she left I caught myself watching movies with subtitles.....:)
Directly after the first movie she retreated to her room (ostensibly to arrange her peter perfect closet. It's a little scary, actually) and I started up Star Wars Episode 1....
I'm not entirely sure, but when I started humming to the theme song and reciting the prologue I think she threatened me from the other room :)
Miki left super early that Saturday. I think I woke up before she left. I vaguely remember stumbling through the hall without my glasses on early that morning and snuggling someone with smell good still wet hair.
I hope I didn't traumatize her too much. At least she left me a nice goodbye note on the counter :)
Saturday I didn't do too terribly much. I actually slept quite late in the day. Until noon I think. Maybe ten? Hmm...But I woke up after Miki left and decided to hunt down a computer on campus.
Ostensibly to write my blog: obviously, that did not happen. That week...It was extremely cold. I know I wrote about it, but I'm not sure you understand: It is 40 degrees with snow where I am write now. But there, in Monmouth?
10.
10 whole flipping degrees.
That Saturday that I ventured out for a computer I almost killed myself on my doorstep.
You know? I've never seen black ice before. In fact? I still haven't. Slipped on the bloody stuff a million times between my door and the school. It really is invisible. I adopted this funny little slide step to save my goose after slipping and almost getting hit crossing a road not a block from my home.
Go figure.
Isn't it that 80 percent of accidents occur within 30 blocks of your home? I'm sure that's an automobile accident where your driving your car...But still, these 'they' have a point :D
Sunday my family showed up.
After two night of watching movies and most of a day lazy about and another attempting to unpack (emphasis on attempt) they practically showed up without calling.
It felt like an invasion.
"Oh dear?! Is this the door frame you were talking about?" says the gramma who's looking at doors on the wrong floor entirely.
"Did you know that you do not have a shower curtain rod?" Bellows the grandfather from upstairs.
"Where do you want this?" Asks the mom.
"Wrong door gramma, yes I know! And Mum! Where I put it of course!"
"Shall I put your plant on the microwave, dear?"
"Why won't this door open?"
Where did you want this?"
"Gramma! A plant in the kitchen? Grampa please be careful I'll be right up!" whips head around. "Mum! Just put that down!"
Stomps upstairs as splitting of doorframe is heard.
"Oops I've got it."
"Where is the light?"
"Did you know that the dead bolt won't work?"
AAARGH!!!
All in all it was fun. I wish they could've stayed much longer. There were plenty of things I needed help with. Like gramma's advice on how to organize the cupboards and maybe some help putting all my food away. The doorframe fixed properly, not just temporarily, maybe just some company in general...
But they always get on MY case for rushing! They wanted in and out in an HOUR!
An HOUR! That's not nearly enough time to help me! Let me tell you, my frontroom is a mess and that's not because it's not organized. It's because it has no stuff of its own and all the stuff from the REST of the house is down there.
My bedroom? It's the sterotypical bachelor pad type. Cept I don't have the mattress to pile the safety barrier of clothes around yet. Anyone have a spare mattress?
Wish me luck and more info on my break will be here soon!
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Hero Returns and the Useless Cleaning Lady
So I cleaned out the bathroom yesterday. When I say clean out, I mean clean out. I got up at 8 something and cleared everything out of the bathroom, including Mikiko's stuff. Miki slept until 11, I swear.
The cleaning lady never showed up.
A week ago she told me to have everything out of the bathroom (even put up a sign) so that she could come in for deep cleaning before she went on her Christmas break. I went to all that trouble and....nada.
So of course that means that she showed up this morning. Miki really did sleep until 11 this morning. She got up super early to talk to Yuuki (at 1 around when I was going to bed...) so I don't blame her for sleeping in. But the lady spent a good 20 minutes chattering about goodness knows what (I think nuclear power plants came up) and then she asked if it was all right if she just took the garbage and replaced the TP and well....She didn't clean.
What the heck?
Well, I did get one good thing out of this. I gave her a note for maintenence crying out for help, because my heater went out again in the night. Of course it was just the living room one. Miki sleeps next to the bedroom one (lucky sod) so she had no problems.
But when the cleaning lady left she closed the bedroom door so my toes went blue even though I had a blanket....>.<
It sucked.
I can't remember when/why Miki left this morning. Or was it afternoon? But I DO know that my Hero returned at 1 :D
It was SOOOOO COOOL!
I totally expected someone else to come. But either Gentle is his building, or heaters are his thing, or he saw my room number and thought he'd check up on us....Hell. The first time he fixed the heat he came back the same day to check on us. He must like Miki and I even though she wasn't there either time :)
I got to chat with him for a while, but then he had to go find out why there wasn't ANY hot water going to that one heater (the one in the bedroom was still fine) and I mentioned that the cleaning lady had mentioned a problem downstairs so he was gone in a flash.
I love how she brought it up like it meant nothing "I went to unlock and clean the laundry room this morning and one of the hot water pipes had burst and it was flooded so of course I couldn't clean so I just shut and locked the door."
I asked if she had reported it and she said "Of course!"
But Barry still took off pretty quick :)
I had to go to my Spanish exam (which went terrible. If I get a D in that class I will be surprised) so I left a note on the door for him thanking him.
When I got back Miki was ecstatic cause she finally got to meet Barry and....*drum roll* We had heat!
YAY!
So I moved a little of my stuff today. Mostly stuff I didn't think I could hazard moving with the majority of my junk tomorrow. I'm still nervous about moving stuff, but things should go fine, I hope.
So Jocelyn and Jesus and I drove to the apartment with Mr. P and one Danny (one got flipped into the sink by accident) and set up the tank. Thank the Gods I had the presence of mind not to turn on the heater: I boiled my tank with it once >.< It's actually pretty tricky setting one of those up.
I didn't like leaving my Playstation there, but I figured it'd get crushed in the rest of the packing. So I hid it in the closet. The remodelling stuff was SUPPOSED to be out today. But there was still a paint machine thingy in the kitchen. And some dumbwad had left all the lights on which heat the place better than the heaters, I swear. But since Miki and I are paying the electricity officially starting today, I wasn't going to stand for that. AND the door was unlocked when I got there.
Oops >.< We forgot to give Alfredo the copy of our receipt of deposit for the electricity.
He's going on vacation to Mexico. FUN! Good thing we'll be gone. In theory nothing bad will happen that we'll need the manager for if we're not there either....:)
So I turned down the heat (it was a sauna) made sure the sink was dripping (pipes have been freezing all over the place) locked the patio door, turned off all the lights I could find, and then locked the front door.
You know what's lovely? Brand new door, brand new locks: The dead bold didn't turn with the key and the key was a poor fit. Greeeeaaaat.
But I moved some stuff into my new place! *cheers*
Now I need a job to pay for it *scowls*
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
The cleaning lady never showed up.
A week ago she told me to have everything out of the bathroom (even put up a sign) so that she could come in for deep cleaning before she went on her Christmas break. I went to all that trouble and....nada.
So of course that means that she showed up this morning. Miki really did sleep until 11 this morning. She got up super early to talk to Yuuki (at 1 around when I was going to bed...) so I don't blame her for sleeping in. But the lady spent a good 20 minutes chattering about goodness knows what (I think nuclear power plants came up) and then she asked if it was all right if she just took the garbage and replaced the TP and well....She didn't clean.
What the heck?
Well, I did get one good thing out of this. I gave her a note for maintenence crying out for help, because my heater went out again in the night. Of course it was just the living room one. Miki sleeps next to the bedroom one (lucky sod) so she had no problems.
But when the cleaning lady left she closed the bedroom door so my toes went blue even though I had a blanket....>.<
It sucked.
I can't remember when/why Miki left this morning. Or was it afternoon? But I DO know that my Hero returned at 1 :D
It was SOOOOO COOOL!
I totally expected someone else to come. But either Gentle is his building, or heaters are his thing, or he saw my room number and thought he'd check up on us....Hell. The first time he fixed the heat he came back the same day to check on us. He must like Miki and I even though she wasn't there either time :)
I got to chat with him for a while, but then he had to go find out why there wasn't ANY hot water going to that one heater (the one in the bedroom was still fine) and I mentioned that the cleaning lady had mentioned a problem downstairs so he was gone in a flash.
I love how she brought it up like it meant nothing "I went to unlock and clean the laundry room this morning and one of the hot water pipes had burst and it was flooded so of course I couldn't clean so I just shut and locked the door."
I asked if she had reported it and she said "Of course!"
But Barry still took off pretty quick :)
I had to go to my Spanish exam (which went terrible. If I get a D in that class I will be surprised) so I left a note on the door for him thanking him.
When I got back Miki was ecstatic cause she finally got to meet Barry and....*drum roll* We had heat!
YAY!
So I moved a little of my stuff today. Mostly stuff I didn't think I could hazard moving with the majority of my junk tomorrow. I'm still nervous about moving stuff, but things should go fine, I hope.
So Jocelyn and Jesus and I drove to the apartment with Mr. P and one Danny (one got flipped into the sink by accident) and set up the tank. Thank the Gods I had the presence of mind not to turn on the heater: I boiled my tank with it once >.< It's actually pretty tricky setting one of those up.
I didn't like leaving my Playstation there, but I figured it'd get crushed in the rest of the packing. So I hid it in the closet. The remodelling stuff was SUPPOSED to be out today. But there was still a paint machine thingy in the kitchen. And some dumbwad had left all the lights on which heat the place better than the heaters, I swear. But since Miki and I are paying the electricity officially starting today, I wasn't going to stand for that. AND the door was unlocked when I got there.
Oops >.< We forgot to give Alfredo the copy of our receipt of deposit for the electricity.
He's going on vacation to Mexico. FUN! Good thing we'll be gone. In theory nothing bad will happen that we'll need the manager for if we're not there either....:)
So I turned down the heat (it was a sauna) made sure the sink was dripping (pipes have been freezing all over the place) locked the patio door, turned off all the lights I could find, and then locked the front door.
You know what's lovely? Brand new door, brand new locks: The dead bold didn't turn with the key and the key was a poor fit. Greeeeaaaat.
But I moved some stuff into my new place! *cheers*
Now I need a job to pay for it *scowls*
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Wednesday is for Frostbite. What?
It's bloody cold outside. So bloody cold outside, that it's...bloody cold outside :)
I took my Lit. Studies final yesterday. In about a half hour. But I'll talk more about it later. I will say that I feel pretty confident about it.
Took my Ling Final today, and surprisingly enough? I feel confident about THAT too! Which is weird considering I was a few pity points away from my D being an F on the last test....I KNOW these things! I study! I read! I go to groups! I write notes and listen to lectures!
And I still fail the tests >.<
Which is almost hysterical considering I'm in the 90th percentile on standardized tests, usually.
But it was pretty easy, surprisingly enough.
Miki has some secrets. Turns out she has some blank checks (account number included) squirrelled away from her bank. Which is neat. It means we didn't have to go get that much cash or get a cashiers check with the potentially wrong number written on it.
So we did the math and figured that with the rent and the deposit he quoted us the first month would be $1250. Not horrendous. So we wrote a check out for that and took off at 4:40 after I woke up from my several hour nap. Man, I needed that. I was groggy until the cold air hit me though >.<
We got there and called the manager and he was late. He's always late. :) It could become either annoying, or endearing I think.
Oh btw, Our application was accepted! *cheers*. We called him earlier in the day and he told us we had the apartment. :) It was neat. When we walked up the walk our door was open. A couple works were in there cursing in Spanish. I had to giggle :) But I DID wonder what they were doing if they had been supposed to finish everything on Tuesday.
The manager got in and he showed us the little things they needed to finish up and how clean they had made it. I was impressed, Miki likes to look at the little things though...(like the squeaky drawers and their loose handles) so I could see her lips pursed in concentration. I HOPE that's just her thinking about cleaning and not about torturing the manager into doing all sorts of odd jobs for us >.<
The contract was pretty straight forward. The kicker though? Officially, it says no pets except for therapy animals. The real deal? He says that only DOGS aren't allowed. That cats are :)
Thank the Gods! I would've argued that one to death considering he allows KIDS there and I guess the last tenants kids demolished the walls (I gathered that from the 10 minute lecture on how the new paint was easier to clean) and Cats aren't always as destructive as children, you know?
I'm a little nervous about taking Ryou away from Gramma, AND about how in the world she's going to get down here....
Now that I think about it, how are my fish getting fed while I'm gone for Christmas? My beta can travel with...And I think the Plecostomus (Mr. P) will have plenty to clean if I fail to clean the cage before I leave (which I really REALLY need to do so maybe not) but the danny-os? I don't think they can be left for 2 weeks...
Crap! I don't want to derail holiday plans because of FISH! *bangs head against wall*
So I can have the cat. We got a copy of the contract so I'll show it to the family etc. but I'm fairly certain I understood everything and it all seemed reasonable to me. Actually, it had the least legal jargon I've ever seen in any sort of Contract.
I has a key.
Only one. He replaced the door so Alfredo only had the 2 keys that came with the new doorknob. But he says he'll make a copy and give us a second one, that we don't need to do that but that we CAN if we want to.
Oh, and btw? Mister Alfredo is also a Fireman :) Those fire detectors better be replaced by tomorrow or I'll be upset...
SO! Also the first month's rent was prorated and the deposit less than he quoted. Which was amazing. It also meant Miki had to write another check >.<
$445 for the first month at $550 for deposit. Another $25 if I decide to bring Ryou. Miki says I should :)
So tomorrow we have to go to City Hall (small town) to get electricity. The $100 deposit made Miki wince. But Monmouth has the best electricity rates in the state (little known fact) so I think we'll be fine. Specially since we're college students and we won't be there constantly, you know? I AM looking forwards to having enough space to invite people over without stowing them in my bedroom. Lemme rephrase that. Enough space that they won't bother Miki if they're in the living room and my OWN living room so I don't have to stow them in my room like I had to do back at home. Don't get me wrong, I had a fairly good sized room. In the basement >.<
Anyone have a t.v. larger than my 17 inch one I can have so that we can watch movies? :D
Oh, and there's no curtain rod for the shower. Did I mention this already? Well Miki and I noticed it last night. So I asked Alfredo. He said "That's not something we provide" and I believe him because even underneath the new paint there aren't any holes in the wall from an old one. But he said that at the old hardware down the street (coincidentally a few doors down from City Hall....) has those easy to install spring type ones or whatever and that that will service us just fine.
They better not cost a lot =.=
We still need cookware. Anyone have any spare pots and pans? :D
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
I took my Lit. Studies final yesterday. In about a half hour. But I'll talk more about it later. I will say that I feel pretty confident about it.
Took my Ling Final today, and surprisingly enough? I feel confident about THAT too! Which is weird considering I was a few pity points away from my D being an F on the last test....I KNOW these things! I study! I read! I go to groups! I write notes and listen to lectures!
And I still fail the tests >.<
Which is almost hysterical considering I'm in the 90th percentile on standardized tests, usually.
But it was pretty easy, surprisingly enough.
Miki has some secrets. Turns out she has some blank checks (account number included) squirrelled away from her bank. Which is neat. It means we didn't have to go get that much cash or get a cashiers check with the potentially wrong number written on it.
So we did the math and figured that with the rent and the deposit he quoted us the first month would be $1250. Not horrendous. So we wrote a check out for that and took off at 4:40 after I woke up from my several hour nap. Man, I needed that. I was groggy until the cold air hit me though >.<
We got there and called the manager and he was late. He's always late. :) It could become either annoying, or endearing I think.
Oh btw, Our application was accepted! *cheers*. We called him earlier in the day and he told us we had the apartment. :) It was neat. When we walked up the walk our door was open. A couple works were in there cursing in Spanish. I had to giggle :) But I DID wonder what they were doing if they had been supposed to finish everything on Tuesday.
The manager got in and he showed us the little things they needed to finish up and how clean they had made it. I was impressed, Miki likes to look at the little things though...(like the squeaky drawers and their loose handles) so I could see her lips pursed in concentration. I HOPE that's just her thinking about cleaning and not about torturing the manager into doing all sorts of odd jobs for us >.<
The contract was pretty straight forward. The kicker though? Officially, it says no pets except for therapy animals. The real deal? He says that only DOGS aren't allowed. That cats are :)
Thank the Gods! I would've argued that one to death considering he allows KIDS there and I guess the last tenants kids demolished the walls (I gathered that from the 10 minute lecture on how the new paint was easier to clean) and Cats aren't always as destructive as children, you know?
I'm a little nervous about taking Ryou away from Gramma, AND about how in the world she's going to get down here....
Now that I think about it, how are my fish getting fed while I'm gone for Christmas? My beta can travel with...And I think the Plecostomus (Mr. P) will have plenty to clean if I fail to clean the cage before I leave (which I really REALLY need to do so maybe not) but the danny-os? I don't think they can be left for 2 weeks...
Crap! I don't want to derail holiday plans because of FISH! *bangs head against wall*
So I can have the cat. We got a copy of the contract so I'll show it to the family etc. but I'm fairly certain I understood everything and it all seemed reasonable to me. Actually, it had the least legal jargon I've ever seen in any sort of Contract.
I has a key.
Only one. He replaced the door so Alfredo only had the 2 keys that came with the new doorknob. But he says he'll make a copy and give us a second one, that we don't need to do that but that we CAN if we want to.
Oh, and btw? Mister Alfredo is also a Fireman :) Those fire detectors better be replaced by tomorrow or I'll be upset...
SO! Also the first month's rent was prorated and the deposit less than he quoted. Which was amazing. It also meant Miki had to write another check >.<
$445 for the first month at $550 for deposit. Another $25 if I decide to bring Ryou. Miki says I should :)
So tomorrow we have to go to City Hall (small town) to get electricity. The $100 deposit made Miki wince. But Monmouth has the best electricity rates in the state (little known fact) so I think we'll be fine. Specially since we're college students and we won't be there constantly, you know? I AM looking forwards to having enough space to invite people over without stowing them in my bedroom. Lemme rephrase that. Enough space that they won't bother Miki if they're in the living room and my OWN living room so I don't have to stow them in my room like I had to do back at home. Don't get me wrong, I had a fairly good sized room. In the basement >.<
Anyone have a t.v. larger than my 17 inch one I can have so that we can watch movies? :D
Oh, and there's no curtain rod for the shower. Did I mention this already? Well Miki and I noticed it last night. So I asked Alfredo. He said "That's not something we provide" and I believe him because even underneath the new paint there aren't any holes in the wall from an old one. But he said that at the old hardware down the street (coincidentally a few doors down from City Hall....) has those easy to install spring type ones or whatever and that that will service us just fine.
They better not cost a lot =.=
We still need cookware. Anyone have any spare pots and pans? :D
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Exam Week and Superman
It's Tuesday morning and I'm rubbing my sweating palms on my pants all nervous like because I have my first exam at noon.
Miki's not here, no idea where she's at. She has two classes, I think. A presentation or something? For Children's lit. I think. She had to read 60 childrens/picture books for that. Holy Cow.
But on to other things: The Maintenance guy showed up bright and early this morning.
Mikiko woke up round 7 something 8 something and I tried my best to ignore her. I was drowsily stuffed under 6 or so blankets and I was NOT moving. I think her class started at 9:30, but I was phasing in and out and one moment she was there, the next someone was knocked and she was NOT answering.
My alarm said 8:40 which means it was closer to 8:10-8:20 and that Miki had left ridiculously early for a class again.
Which makes me admire her even more :)
The point is I knew EXACTLY who was at the door and tore through in my pajamas to answer the door before he left.
Please! HEAT! My Toes are blue! It took me two hours to warm my bed enough to sleep last night! If I cocoon up like that again I might suffocate!
He looked like an angel.
I couldn't hear the construction, oddly enough. But thank the Gods because I might've gone out there with murder on my mind if they had been the ones to wake me up....
But he had sunlight streaming in around him (dur, my door faces east. But of course I forget that...) And he had a large smile on his face as he asked "What's the problem?"
I about leaped backwards to let him in and started chattering at a million miles an hour. Quite literally because it was so cold I was literally chattering.
He grinned wryly and aimed straight for the living room heater "Yup, you have a heat problem. Since Friday? Niiiice. Guess you got lost in the mix up. Did you hear about how I fixed the Main Heater single handedly?"
Now see here, I'm not a morning person. But if you're bringing me heat I'll flipping make you coffee.
As it was, that wasn't necessary (and I didn't have any anyways) but I DID scramble about clearing stuff away from the heater telling him all he wanted to know about how one gurgled and one didn't but both had definitely been out since Friday and that it was close to 50 degrees in there and that Miki and I preferred 80 degrees.
He was pretty good company when you got used to talking around the power drill. It was nice. I was so excited I needed someone to deal with my hyperness and he seemed glad to, oddly enough. Also, Barry (my superhero) turned out to be a photographer so we chattered about that. That was nice.
Shout out to Barry "Hope you found my blog eventually!"
:D
It's not quite warm in here yet, But it's warm enough I can write a blog...So that's good, yeah?
Baaaarrrryyyyy! My Hero :)
So today is my first day of real exams. I had two papers due yesterday which I got turned in. I was awfully proud of my Literature Studies paper. But I have Lit. Studies today, Linguistics tomorrow, Spanish on Thursday, and Western Literature on Friday. Wish me luck I'll update on those on Friday.
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Miki's not here, no idea where she's at. She has two classes, I think. A presentation or something? For Children's lit. I think. She had to read 60 childrens/picture books for that. Holy Cow.
But on to other things: The Maintenance guy showed up bright and early this morning.
Mikiko woke up round 7 something 8 something and I tried my best to ignore her. I was drowsily stuffed under 6 or so blankets and I was NOT moving. I think her class started at 9:30, but I was phasing in and out and one moment she was there, the next someone was knocked and she was NOT answering.
My alarm said 8:40 which means it was closer to 8:10-8:20 and that Miki had left ridiculously early for a class again.
Which makes me admire her even more :)
The point is I knew EXACTLY who was at the door and tore through in my pajamas to answer the door before he left.
Please! HEAT! My Toes are blue! It took me two hours to warm my bed enough to sleep last night! If I cocoon up like that again I might suffocate!
He looked like an angel.
I couldn't hear the construction, oddly enough. But thank the Gods because I might've gone out there with murder on my mind if they had been the ones to wake me up....
But he had sunlight streaming in around him (dur, my door faces east. But of course I forget that...) And he had a large smile on his face as he asked "What's the problem?"
I about leaped backwards to let him in and started chattering at a million miles an hour. Quite literally because it was so cold I was literally chattering.
He grinned wryly and aimed straight for the living room heater "Yup, you have a heat problem. Since Friday? Niiiice. Guess you got lost in the mix up. Did you hear about how I fixed the Main Heater single handedly?"
Now see here, I'm not a morning person. But if you're bringing me heat I'll flipping make you coffee.
As it was, that wasn't necessary (and I didn't have any anyways) but I DID scramble about clearing stuff away from the heater telling him all he wanted to know about how one gurgled and one didn't but both had definitely been out since Friday and that it was close to 50 degrees in there and that Miki and I preferred 80 degrees.
He was pretty good company when you got used to talking around the power drill. It was nice. I was so excited I needed someone to deal with my hyperness and he seemed glad to, oddly enough. Also, Barry (my superhero) turned out to be a photographer so we chattered about that. That was nice.
Shout out to Barry "Hope you found my blog eventually!"
:D
It's not quite warm in here yet, But it's warm enough I can write a blog...So that's good, yeah?
Baaaarrrryyyyy! My Hero :)
So today is my first day of real exams. I had two papers due yesterday which I got turned in. I was awfully proud of my Literature Studies paper. But I have Lit. Studies today, Linguistics tomorrow, Spanish on Thursday, and Western Literature on Friday. Wish me luck I'll update on those on Friday.
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Application
It's So bloody cold outside.
One would not believe how many of those blasted handwarmers I've used. I'm so used to it not getting super cold/snowy until like...March >.<;;; I mean, we had snow for Christmas last year, but that was a fluke you know? Although I can't help but remember the winter holidays when I was little when the birdbaths would freeze solid (as well as the lake) and I would sled down the hill in the backyard and Plow through the garden....
Wasn't Grampa thrilled :D
So Miki and I venture out at dark, fun fun. We're sposed to meet him at 6 or something. But he's always late. I think I can live with a late manager considering how much he's gotten done with that apartment. It's definitely one of those "Don't judge a book by it's cover places". The last tenants treated it terribly, and there's still remnants of that evident in odd places. Like the strange closet doors with handles missing, or the loose handles on the kitchen drawers (Anyone have a screwdriver they'd give to me for Christmas? Phillips please thank you). But other than that the manager has done absolute miracles.
I can kinda see what the place used to look like so it's amazing that he's got it looking so good now. And it's not that fake kind of looking good either. He's actually fixed stuff.
Turns out Alfredo has 15 cars. Several are for him. The nice sports car, the small pickup, the bigger nice truck, the super large I have a too small penis truck......:) But it turns out that he runs a contracting business, so that explains his handiness/lots of vehicles.
So it's super warm in the house as Miki and I fill out the applications. I'm so nervous that the pen slips in my sweaty hands and I stop every few moments to chatter excitedly. Miki is very purposeful about hers. Like she's signing a warrant for someone's death or something.
I am impressed.
I almost forgot to put my drivers license on it, though >.< He was amazed that technically I'm a Washington resident. There actually aren't that many of those here at WOU. The few people I've met that used to live in Washington are Oregon residents now (i.e. they've married had kids etc.) So I'm a....what do you call it when you fit outside of the equation? Maybe an outlier :D
I felt kinda stupid about not having any credit for him to check, or a current job. And I put down the family business as my last job since technically it WAS my last job. Although I more consider the Lightship as that....But that was a while ago. Winter of 2008 I think? It's been a whole year since I've been a busser.
Soooooo....For once I'm the one that's prepared. I want to cry when I see $25 disappear into his pocket for the application fee, and Miki has a blank amazed look on her face. But it might just be apprehension because I forgot to remind her about the fee (maybe I didn't tell her at all? I could've sworn I did....) and I didn't have enough to cover her (laughs hysterically) So he offered to pay for her if we brought the money later.
WOOHOO WE'RE IN! *cheers*
So I probably Should've mention this sooner...But Miki and I have been without heat since Friday. Quite literally I might add. I'm in the library typing this because it's hit 50 degrees in our room. Mikiko is hiding out underneath several blankets on her bed with her laptop, having given up the living room as a lost cause.
Did you know that when you don't have constant heat it's easier to feel the stiff breeze under the door? I never though I'd have to use tricks from when I was little and stuff a towel under the door....
An annoying blond brought the breeze back. She and her cheerfulness knocked merrily announcing a Christmas party downstairs that was "huge" (I'm guessing that at least 10 dormers showed up to make that quota) and if Miki hadn't have been in the bathroom I might've drug the girl in so I could go drown her in the toilet.
Fudge it's cold outside, go away!
So I told her nicely (snorts) that neither of us were going, thank you, and to go away.
Am I a bad person for loving to see her face drop?
Not an hour later I was stomping downstairs to find my R.A. at that blasted party (hypocrite, I know. But it had just hit 40 something in my room and I had lost my temper). I almost got distracted by the crafts tables but managed to zero in on Kelsey. Apparently on Saturday the entire building went out (something wrong with the main generator for heat) and she said it had been fixed days ago. I talked to lots of people and that was the consensus and everyone else had THEIR heat back!
So she told me to file a work order. What's that you ask? Pretty much something busts and you cry over the internet to the techs and they come replace your lightbulb for you because everyone knows college students can't do that.
One problem: OUR (the residency offices) took Miki and I off the residents list early. So neither of us had the capabilities to file a work order. So I stashed all the food I had stolen from the party (I snagged a lot) and the Christmas ornament I had made, and flew back down the stairs to give her a piece of my mind.
In the ten seconds it took me to get down there (running) I had lost feeling in my fingers, nose, and ears. Stupid cold. 8 o'clock at night and it has to be 15 degrees outside.
I told her what was going on and that both my heaters had been out since FRIDAY, not saturday, and that I wanted heat and SOON so I didn't get frostbite, she filed me a report.
Good Girl.
Wish me luck!
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
One would not believe how many of those blasted handwarmers I've used. I'm so used to it not getting super cold/snowy until like...March >.<;;; I mean, we had snow for Christmas last year, but that was a fluke you know? Although I can't help but remember the winter holidays when I was little when the birdbaths would freeze solid (as well as the lake) and I would sled down the hill in the backyard and Plow through the garden....
Wasn't Grampa thrilled :D
So Miki and I venture out at dark, fun fun. We're sposed to meet him at 6 or something. But he's always late. I think I can live with a late manager considering how much he's gotten done with that apartment. It's definitely one of those "Don't judge a book by it's cover places". The last tenants treated it terribly, and there's still remnants of that evident in odd places. Like the strange closet doors with handles missing, or the loose handles on the kitchen drawers (Anyone have a screwdriver they'd give to me for Christmas? Phillips please thank you). But other than that the manager has done absolute miracles.
I can kinda see what the place used to look like so it's amazing that he's got it looking so good now. And it's not that fake kind of looking good either. He's actually fixed stuff.
Turns out Alfredo has 15 cars. Several are for him. The nice sports car, the small pickup, the bigger nice truck, the super large I have a too small penis truck......:) But it turns out that he runs a contracting business, so that explains his handiness/lots of vehicles.
So it's super warm in the house as Miki and I fill out the applications. I'm so nervous that the pen slips in my sweaty hands and I stop every few moments to chatter excitedly. Miki is very purposeful about hers. Like she's signing a warrant for someone's death or something.
I am impressed.
I almost forgot to put my drivers license on it, though >.< He was amazed that technically I'm a Washington resident. There actually aren't that many of those here at WOU. The few people I've met that used to live in Washington are Oregon residents now (i.e. they've married had kids etc.) So I'm a....what do you call it when you fit outside of the equation? Maybe an outlier :D
I felt kinda stupid about not having any credit for him to check, or a current job. And I put down the family business as my last job since technically it WAS my last job. Although I more consider the Lightship as that....But that was a while ago. Winter of 2008 I think? It's been a whole year since I've been a busser.
Soooooo....For once I'm the one that's prepared. I want to cry when I see $25 disappear into his pocket for the application fee, and Miki has a blank amazed look on her face. But it might just be apprehension because I forgot to remind her about the fee (maybe I didn't tell her at all? I could've sworn I did....) and I didn't have enough to cover her (laughs hysterically) So he offered to pay for her if we brought the money later.
WOOHOO WE'RE IN! *cheers*
So I probably Should've mention this sooner...But Miki and I have been without heat since Friday. Quite literally I might add. I'm in the library typing this because it's hit 50 degrees in our room. Mikiko is hiding out underneath several blankets on her bed with her laptop, having given up the living room as a lost cause.
Did you know that when you don't have constant heat it's easier to feel the stiff breeze under the door? I never though I'd have to use tricks from when I was little and stuff a towel under the door....
An annoying blond brought the breeze back. She and her cheerfulness knocked merrily announcing a Christmas party downstairs that was "huge" (I'm guessing that at least 10 dormers showed up to make that quota) and if Miki hadn't have been in the bathroom I might've drug the girl in so I could go drown her in the toilet.
Fudge it's cold outside, go away!
So I told her nicely (snorts) that neither of us were going, thank you, and to go away.
Am I a bad person for loving to see her face drop?
Not an hour later I was stomping downstairs to find my R.A. at that blasted party (hypocrite, I know. But it had just hit 40 something in my room and I had lost my temper). I almost got distracted by the crafts tables but managed to zero in on Kelsey. Apparently on Saturday the entire building went out (something wrong with the main generator for heat) and she said it had been fixed days ago. I talked to lots of people and that was the consensus and everyone else had THEIR heat back!
So she told me to file a work order. What's that you ask? Pretty much something busts and you cry over the internet to the techs and they come replace your lightbulb for you because everyone knows college students can't do that.
One problem: OUR (the residency offices) took Miki and I off the residents list early. So neither of us had the capabilities to file a work order. So I stashed all the food I had stolen from the party (I snagged a lot) and the Christmas ornament I had made, and flew back down the stairs to give her a piece of my mind.
In the ten seconds it took me to get down there (running) I had lost feeling in my fingers, nose, and ears. Stupid cold. 8 o'clock at night and it has to be 15 degrees outside.
I told her what was going on and that both my heaters had been out since FRIDAY, not saturday, and that I wanted heat and SOON so I didn't get frostbite, she filed me a report.
Good Girl.
Wish me luck!
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Christmas Party and Resulting Madness
Mikiko actually caused me to be excited about a Christian Christmas party, surprise surprise. Heck, I even bought a gift for the exchange and wrapped it.
Okay, so it was 99 cent wrapping paper and I bought a box of candy canes for 79 cents only because I was buying a box of the tutti fruity ones for me anyways....
But still :)
It sounded like lots of fun!
There's a bus, that came to pick us up from campus. And it was JAMMED FULL of International students with one or two Americans here or there.
But as we were waiting for the bus in the Library lobby we bumped into Miki's best friend Sabrina (german exchange student) and her roommate Megan. Which was really cool! We were both really excited that they would be at the party. We've all four of us been looking for apartments so Sabrina asked Miki and I how we had been doing.
We had just gotten a call from Chuck from the house we had seen, and since Miki was so gung ho and she's just too cute for me to refuse....We told him we wanted to meet on Sunday to sign the applications forms. He told us that the two people that viewed the house before us weren't planning on staying for the entire lease, and that since I was (even though Miki will be replaced by a new roommate come June) we were first on the list by the Landlord's standards.
We were super excited and told Sabrina and Megan all about it. We mentioned a few things about the place and they looked startled.
"Wait," Sabrina said. "Was the poster there," She pointed to the wall behind me "On that board?"
It turned out that Megan and Sabrina were the people that had been there not an hour before us. And that while Chuck had called Miki and I, he had not called them.
We were silent an embarrassed for several long moments. I thought that Megan might kills someone (she gives off that vibe on purpose, I think) and Sabrina looked quite torn. I couldn't tell you what Miki was feeling. She looked undecided and frantic. While I was just extremely embarrassed and humiliated. I had made a decision, and had decided to take the place out from underneath two other people, and then had found out that I knew these people.
I was scarlet.
I was also sad. I had spent 24 hours trying to convince myself that the responsibility wasn't too great, and that the place would be worth it and good. And that we WERE going to take it and that I should just suck it up and then that was pulled out from underneath me. I didn't want to let go. So I nattered along quite nervously and handed over my apartment hunt list to a quite unsatisfied Megan and confused Sabrina and tried to hush Miki's demands of "What are we going to do?"
Because of course I knew what we had to do. I'm not heartless. It's one thing to totally cheat people you don't know. I'm practical enough to know that no one can get by without doing that at some point. But I can't do that to friends! I would prolong it, of course. And hold onto my hope as long as I could. But I knew what had to be done.
Especially since Chuck's favoritism was totally unwarranted: Sabrina and Megan's situation is exactly the same as Miki's and mine. Megan needs a place to live until she graduates, and Sabrina is leaving this spring.
The bus ride was terrible. The other two girls sat across the aisle from us and we all tried desperate not to hiss amongst ourselves or talk across the aisle. The bus was packed and everyone was loud and joyous. I thought it was sacrilegious that everyone was so happy when Miki and I were so miserable.
I dropped my head to my chest and felt like crying. It was so dark on the bus that I pretended I was alone and tried not to press up against Miki because I know she doesn't always appreciate people being close.
The house we went into wasn't too warm. But with 50 people in it that quickly changed. Lots of people tried the piano and I got plenty of chances to sing songs I haven't sung in years. I miss choir. Miki and I got to forget our problems for quite a while with all the Christmas cheer. The dinner was pretty good. A lot of it was foreign food, which was interesting, and the...uh...I think the Vietnamese dish was called Fuh, to be perfectly honest >.<>.< owner =".="">.< Go figure.
Everything was pretty much over after that. Well, 20 or so people left, including Sabrina and Megan but everyone else was having dessert. And so I cornered the two girls in the "coat room" (a spare room) and told them the house was theirs. That Miki and I would take them with us on Sunday and let them sign the applications and we'd back off and go for the other place, that it was only fair.
Sabrina thought I was mad. Megan's calculating look made me a bit nervous. But I was just tired, overwrought, and sad. I hadn't wanted the blasted place in the first place and then I went and got my hopes up over it and then things went to Hell.
Someone better bring Murphy to life and kill him again for me, I swear.
The dessert was really bittersweet. There was cake and cookies and ice cream and thank the God's it was vanilla. So I asked for just vanilla and retreated to the hall to have a good cry, goodness knows why. As I was petting a cat Miki came out to cry with me too after I told her what I had done. You know what made me feel better though? She told me that she was proud of me. And she has since, and that made me feel MUCH better.
So Sunday was miserably cold, and nervewracking. But we met Sabrina and Megan at the library, explained to Chuck what went wrong and left. We know that we could've applied and competed against them, but we were tired, you know? Tired of fighting for no reason. We had found a perfectly fine apartment just round the corner, and we'd have friends nearby, and they deserved the house.
Even though I'm still a little bitter that it's gone to an American who's a party girl and a German girl who will be leaving in March. But I like them both so it won't be a hard feeling to let go of, I think.
Deep inside I wish I had the place though. Because it had enough room for a third roommate and I'm terrified that I won't be able to pull my own. That I'm not responsible enough and that I'll let Mikiko down because I'm such a horrible person.
But, we DID call Alfredo and we're applying for the apartment round the corner on Monday. Wish us luck!
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Okay, so it was 99 cent wrapping paper and I bought a box of candy canes for 79 cents only because I was buying a box of the tutti fruity ones for me anyways....
But still :)
It sounded like lots of fun!
There's a bus, that came to pick us up from campus. And it was JAMMED FULL of International students with one or two Americans here or there.
But as we were waiting for the bus in the Library lobby we bumped into Miki's best friend Sabrina (german exchange student) and her roommate Megan. Which was really cool! We were both really excited that they would be at the party. We've all four of us been looking for apartments so Sabrina asked Miki and I how we had been doing.
We had just gotten a call from Chuck from the house we had seen, and since Miki was so gung ho and she's just too cute for me to refuse....We told him we wanted to meet on Sunday to sign the applications forms. He told us that the two people that viewed the house before us weren't planning on staying for the entire lease, and that since I was (even though Miki will be replaced by a new roommate come June) we were first on the list by the Landlord's standards.
We were super excited and told Sabrina and Megan all about it. We mentioned a few things about the place and they looked startled.
"Wait," Sabrina said. "Was the poster there," She pointed to the wall behind me "On that board?"
It turned out that Megan and Sabrina were the people that had been there not an hour before us. And that while Chuck had called Miki and I, he had not called them.
We were silent an embarrassed for several long moments. I thought that Megan might kills someone (she gives off that vibe on purpose, I think) and Sabrina looked quite torn. I couldn't tell you what Miki was feeling. She looked undecided and frantic. While I was just extremely embarrassed and humiliated. I had made a decision, and had decided to take the place out from underneath two other people, and then had found out that I knew these people.
I was scarlet.
I was also sad. I had spent 24 hours trying to convince myself that the responsibility wasn't too great, and that the place would be worth it and good. And that we WERE going to take it and that I should just suck it up and then that was pulled out from underneath me. I didn't want to let go. So I nattered along quite nervously and handed over my apartment hunt list to a quite unsatisfied Megan and confused Sabrina and tried to hush Miki's demands of "What are we going to do?"
Because of course I knew what we had to do. I'm not heartless. It's one thing to totally cheat people you don't know. I'm practical enough to know that no one can get by without doing that at some point. But I can't do that to friends! I would prolong it, of course. And hold onto my hope as long as I could. But I knew what had to be done.
Especially since Chuck's favoritism was totally unwarranted: Sabrina and Megan's situation is exactly the same as Miki's and mine. Megan needs a place to live until she graduates, and Sabrina is leaving this spring.
The bus ride was terrible. The other two girls sat across the aisle from us and we all tried desperate not to hiss amongst ourselves or talk across the aisle. The bus was packed and everyone was loud and joyous. I thought it was sacrilegious that everyone was so happy when Miki and I were so miserable.
I dropped my head to my chest and felt like crying. It was so dark on the bus that I pretended I was alone and tried not to press up against Miki because I know she doesn't always appreciate people being close.
The house we went into wasn't too warm. But with 50 people in it that quickly changed. Lots of people tried the piano and I got plenty of chances to sing songs I haven't sung in years. I miss choir. Miki and I got to forget our problems for quite a while with all the Christmas cheer. The dinner was pretty good. A lot of it was foreign food, which was interesting, and the...uh...I think the Vietnamese dish was called Fuh, to be perfectly honest >.<>.< owner =".="">.< Go figure.
Everything was pretty much over after that. Well, 20 or so people left, including Sabrina and Megan but everyone else was having dessert. And so I cornered the two girls in the "coat room" (a spare room) and told them the house was theirs. That Miki and I would take them with us on Sunday and let them sign the applications and we'd back off and go for the other place, that it was only fair.
Sabrina thought I was mad. Megan's calculating look made me a bit nervous. But I was just tired, overwrought, and sad. I hadn't wanted the blasted place in the first place and then I went and got my hopes up over it and then things went to Hell.
Someone better bring Murphy to life and kill him again for me, I swear.
The dessert was really bittersweet. There was cake and cookies and ice cream and thank the God's it was vanilla. So I asked for just vanilla and retreated to the hall to have a good cry, goodness knows why. As I was petting a cat Miki came out to cry with me too after I told her what I had done. You know what made me feel better though? She told me that she was proud of me. And she has since, and that made me feel MUCH better.
So Sunday was miserably cold, and nervewracking. But we met Sabrina and Megan at the library, explained to Chuck what went wrong and left. We know that we could've applied and competed against them, but we were tired, you know? Tired of fighting for no reason. We had found a perfectly fine apartment just round the corner, and we'd have friends nearby, and they deserved the house.
Even though I'm still a little bitter that it's gone to an American who's a party girl and a German girl who will be leaving in March. But I like them both so it won't be a hard feeling to let go of, I think.
Deep inside I wish I had the place though. Because it had enough room for a third roommate and I'm terrified that I won't be able to pull my own. That I'm not responsible enough and that I'll let Mikiko down because I'm such a horrible person.
But, we DID call Alfredo and we're applying for the apartment round the corner on Monday. Wish us luck!
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Friday, December 4, 2009
Apartment Hunting II
Today we saw two more apartments. Well, one house and one apartment :)
They were both pretty neat.
The apartment was really close to campus. Got onto main street, went a block down, and a block and a half over and we were there. They were called "townhouses". I think because they had two floors inside. How ironic. When I was little, everytime I was invited over to a playmates I used to ask (all excited) "Do you have two floors?!"
The place was a mess. Because of remodeling I mean. Other than that it was pretty cool. It had a terrible stove but the manager (Alfredo) said that they are replacing it with a new one. On the ground floor there is a small kitchen (but bigger than that crazy manager place's), a half bath (toilet and sink), and a good sized front room. There's even a broom closet with water heater in it. It's got a small cement patio on the north side. Good for ambient light and maybe I can put some plants out there...
Upstairs has two bedrooms. The large bedroom is bigger than I expected, and the small one was TINY! That was a check mark against the place. It had a half bath that I liked.
I think the only things that made it stand out were the brand new flooring, carpeting, tiling, paint, plumbing under sinks, and new toilets. Okay, so those are pretty good things :)
Water/Sewer/Garbage included, cheap electricity, $600 rent $650 deposit. I know, the deposit sounds steep. But you wouldn't argue either if you heard how much he quoted the new flooring at *shudders*.
The next place we saw two hours later, at 2. The guy showing it to us was late. He wasn't even the manager or landlord, he was the next door tenant renting from the same owner. Which is....weird.
The place was old. Large, but old. Two bedrooms (neither as big or small as the last), okay closets (not as big as I'd like), crappy bathroom, TWO living rooms (one with an alcove big enough for a bed) and a good sized kitchen/mudroom with washer and drier.
Water/Sewer/Garbage/ELECTRICITY Included. $630 rent, one months rent for deposit.
Miki really likes it so we might take it..... But I'm really nervous about the responsibility thing. That really REALLY freaks me out.
Why is it so hard to find a place?
So P.S. to this, last night I found a 24/7 computer lounge. I spent quite a bit of the night there and missed the band concert from my sulking. But I DID go to the Choir concert tonight. It was so bloody amazing. Miki and I dressed up (le gasp) and we trotted through the cold with scarves and gloves and used our i.d. cards to get in for free and listened...It was so good we didn't even feel the hours pass.
Ever heard of Bach's Magnificat? Well....Let's just say that I never thought 80 people singing could be any less that terrible bellowing....It was amazing. :) I'd go to another recital anyday.
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
They were both pretty neat.
The apartment was really close to campus. Got onto main street, went a block down, and a block and a half over and we were there. They were called "townhouses". I think because they had two floors inside. How ironic. When I was little, everytime I was invited over to a playmates I used to ask (all excited) "Do you have two floors?!"
The place was a mess. Because of remodeling I mean. Other than that it was pretty cool. It had a terrible stove but the manager (Alfredo) said that they are replacing it with a new one. On the ground floor there is a small kitchen (but bigger than that crazy manager place's), a half bath (toilet and sink), and a good sized front room. There's even a broom closet with water heater in it. It's got a small cement patio on the north side. Good for ambient light and maybe I can put some plants out there...
Upstairs has two bedrooms. The large bedroom is bigger than I expected, and the small one was TINY! That was a check mark against the place. It had a half bath that I liked.
I think the only things that made it stand out were the brand new flooring, carpeting, tiling, paint, plumbing under sinks, and new toilets. Okay, so those are pretty good things :)
Water/Sewer/Garbage included, cheap electricity, $600 rent $650 deposit. I know, the deposit sounds steep. But you wouldn't argue either if you heard how much he quoted the new flooring at *shudders*.
The next place we saw two hours later, at 2. The guy showing it to us was late. He wasn't even the manager or landlord, he was the next door tenant renting from the same owner. Which is....weird.
The place was old. Large, but old. Two bedrooms (neither as big or small as the last), okay closets (not as big as I'd like), crappy bathroom, TWO living rooms (one with an alcove big enough for a bed) and a good sized kitchen/mudroom with washer and drier.
Water/Sewer/Garbage/ELECTRICITY Included. $630 rent, one months rent for deposit.
Miki really likes it so we might take it..... But I'm really nervous about the responsibility thing. That really REALLY freaks me out.
Why is it so hard to find a place?
So P.S. to this, last night I found a 24/7 computer lounge. I spent quite a bit of the night there and missed the band concert from my sulking. But I DID go to the Choir concert tonight. It was so bloody amazing. Miki and I dressed up (le gasp) and we trotted through the cold with scarves and gloves and used our i.d. cards to get in for free and listened...It was so good we didn't even feel the hours pass.
Ever heard of Bach's Magnificat? Well....Let's just say that I never thought 80 people singing could be any less that terrible bellowing....It was amazing. :) I'd go to another recital anyday.
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Christmas Tree Lighting
Miki and I had an AMAZING TIME!
Turned out that the Christmas tree lighting is a big huge deal around here. I swear that the whole county showed up on Monmouth Ave. (the street that runs along campus). We went first to the art building to look at the Christmas trees. The little ones were SO cute. We got Hot Chocolate while we were there. We paused briefly at her House Mother's Christian bookstore to wave, she had cool lights. Then we saw Santa down the street and I took pictures of Miki with Santa :)
Then we got to see Miki's first Nativity scene. It was at a Gazebo in the Main Street park. There was straw, and the shepherds dressed more like kings....And kittens, and chickens, and even a goat! Then we went to the farmer's market that opened especial three days in a row. Miki got a free hat from one of the vendors
Isn't it cute? She made me try on one too....But I didn't buy it =.=
As we were there a bunch of police cars went buy to start the parade. A parade! For Christmas! How cool! We missed quite a bit of it though and only really got to see the Firetruck with that Santa we had met on it....But we ran super fast and caught up with a few "floats" (decorated cars) before they hit campus.
Then we got to here a 13 year old read her winning essay (about a magic piece of paper that would bring to life whatever you drew) and then there was a COUNT DOWN(!) for her to turn on the Christmas tree light.
Did I mention that WOU is home to the second largest live Christmas tree in the U.S.? How neat it that!
There was a Choir concert of local kids from Polk County in the Werner Center. We went and listened to them and took lots of photos. Miki really liked it. It was fun. They didn't sing anything MY schools sung at pagents when I was little though....
And now all the fun was over :)
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Turned out that the Christmas tree lighting is a big huge deal around here. I swear that the whole county showed up on Monmouth Ave. (the street that runs along campus). We went first to the art building to look at the Christmas trees. The little ones were SO cute. We got Hot Chocolate while we were there. We paused briefly at her House Mother's Christian bookstore to wave, she had cool lights. Then we saw Santa down the street and I took pictures of Miki with Santa :)
Then we got to see Miki's first Nativity scene. It was at a Gazebo in the Main Street park. There was straw, and the shepherds dressed more like kings....And kittens, and chickens, and even a goat! Then we went to the farmer's market that opened especial three days in a row. Miki got a free hat from one of the vendors
Isn't it cute? She made me try on one too....But I didn't buy it =.=As we were there a bunch of police cars went buy to start the parade. A parade! For Christmas! How cool! We missed quite a bit of it though and only really got to see the Firetruck with that Santa we had met on it....But we ran super fast and caught up with a few "floats" (decorated cars) before they hit campus.Then we got to here a 13 year old read her winning essay (about a magic piece of paper that would bring to life whatever you drew) and then there was a COUNT DOWN(!) for her to turn on the Christmas tree light.
Did I mention that WOU is home to the second largest live Christmas tree in the U.S.? How neat it that!
There was a Choir concert of local kids from Polk County in the Werner Center. We went and listened to them and took lots of photos. Miki really liked it. It was fun. They didn't sing anything MY schools sung at pagents when I was little though....
And now all the fun was over :)
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
While I was Cleaning My Desk...
...I found my dorm contract. The contract I never signed. The contract I contacted my R.A. about to help me get another one and never got any results.
So I was looking at it, trying to figure out why I hadn't signed it in the first place....And realized that it was for 3 terms. Here's the tricky thing about the dorm contracts. If you have a single term you can switch it to a 3 term, no fees. If you have a 3 term...it's non transferrable. And if you break it you owe $7 a day for every day you don't live in the dorms.
It's a good thing I never signed that blasted thing back in September.
So I stormed the OUR office the day after I found it to see if I could get the problem fixed. I mean, heck! I paid $150 dollars non-refundable to get a single term contract, and I want that bugger. You know? So I went in and everyone was flabbergasted at what had happened. There was record of me paying the money, but I was never charged for it. So it got dumped into some general fund and paid for my classes (supposedly) so fun thing number 1. Now I owe $150 and it's NOT my fault.
Fun thing number two, they were shocked to learn I had no contract in my folder...Well duh! You gave me the wrong one and miss forgetful/coward lost it and avoided the office at all possible....Should've been a follow-up on me, I tell you.
So I had to sign a contract, Sign a Petition to get off campus, and rescue my roommate from the wolves. When I found the contract last night I told her what was up and she got the funniest look on her face. I found out why today when I bumped into her at the OUR:
They had made her sign a 3 term contract and we were planning on moving out together.
So she was in there signing a petition too and trying to get the fee waived since they had strong armed her into the contract she knew she didn't want....She was kind of upset to say the least.
I hope she doesn't have to pay the $7 a day. I sent her to the International Student building to see if her advisor could help. After that Miki was pretty upset and ran into her best friend Sabrina. Apparently Sabrina is willfully breaking the contract and told Miki that she figured in the $7 a day AND rent on an apartment and it still came up cheaper than dorm fees.
So Miki still wants to move out with me *sighs* Good :)
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
So I was looking at it, trying to figure out why I hadn't signed it in the first place....And realized that it was for 3 terms. Here's the tricky thing about the dorm contracts. If you have a single term you can switch it to a 3 term, no fees. If you have a 3 term...it's non transferrable. And if you break it you owe $7 a day for every day you don't live in the dorms.
It's a good thing I never signed that blasted thing back in September.
So I stormed the OUR office the day after I found it to see if I could get the problem fixed. I mean, heck! I paid $150 dollars non-refundable to get a single term contract, and I want that bugger. You know? So I went in and everyone was flabbergasted at what had happened. There was record of me paying the money, but I was never charged for it. So it got dumped into some general fund and paid for my classes (supposedly) so fun thing number 1. Now I owe $150 and it's NOT my fault.
Fun thing number two, they were shocked to learn I had no contract in my folder...Well duh! You gave me the wrong one and miss forgetful/coward lost it and avoided the office at all possible....Should've been a follow-up on me, I tell you.
So I had to sign a contract, Sign a Petition to get off campus, and rescue my roommate from the wolves. When I found the contract last night I told her what was up and she got the funniest look on her face. I found out why today when I bumped into her at the OUR:
They had made her sign a 3 term contract and we were planning on moving out together.
So she was in there signing a petition too and trying to get the fee waived since they had strong armed her into the contract she knew she didn't want....She was kind of upset to say the least.
I hope she doesn't have to pay the $7 a day. I sent her to the International Student building to see if her advisor could help. After that Miki was pretty upset and ran into her best friend Sabrina. Apparently Sabrina is willfully breaking the contract and told Miki that she figured in the $7 a day AND rent on an apartment and it still came up cheaper than dorm fees.
So Miki still wants to move out with me *sighs* Good :)
Regards from Purgatory,
Monica
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