Thursday, February 19, 2009

Wow - It's Real

The whole moving thing is finally sinking in. After a day of absolute and total frustration yesterday, things should - should - begin to really ramp up today.

I was calling to have the utilities switched into my name at the new house yesterday. Wow, what a cluster-you-know-what. The water and gas people said someone had to come out and do a final meter reading before they could transfer the utilities. Problem is, I don't have the keys yet, so I couldn't schedule the reading, because I didn't know when the sellers (who do have the keys) would be available and willing to meet them there. But neither place was willing to let me have the sellers call and schedule the reading, then transfer it into my name. Somehow, they wanted me to be the one to let them in for the final reading - the person into whose name the utilities were being transferred - and any other potential scenario just eluded them both completely. They didn't seem to understand at all why I didn't have the keys yet. The snotty woman at the gas company even told me, "You're the one who wants the gas in your name, you have to make the arrangements." Well ... that's what I'm trying to do, Ms. Bitch.

The reason I didn't have the keys is that everyone (agent, loan officer, etc.) told me that I needed to have the utilities transfer on the date of closing (today) but I couldn't get the keys till the day following closing.

We eventually worked it out that I get the keys tomorrow at 3:00 p.m., and I've arranged the necessary meter readings for that same date, after 3:00 p.m.

I haven't arranged the electric transfer yet ... it took me, literally, all day just to get that sorted out with the water and gas company (the local water company people were quite nice, if initially a little dense about the situation; and the second time I called the gas company, I got someone much nicer). I ended up having to call the gas company about four times before I got that all sorted out. I tried calling the electric company; the first two times, halfway through the voice response system, I had to hang up due to interruptions; the third time I finally got them on the phone, they put me on hold, then we got cut off.

My patience was shot, so I'm saving calling them back for today.

But anyway - I'm supposed to close today, and then get the keys tomorrow at 3:00!!! So tomorrow afternoon I'll be at the new house.

Amazing. It's all so fuzzy, like a weird dream. I mentioned before that I hadn't yet entirely wrapped my head around the fact that we're actually moving. Up till now it's all just kind of seemed like an exercise in fantasy, thinking 'what would it be like if we were going to move,' but not actually believing we're doing it. Now it's finally starting to feel real, knowing that we'll be there ... tomorrow.

Moving ... oh my. I'm thinking it's going to be a bit of a disaster. I'm not fretting about it, it is what it is. But I think what it is, is going to be a disaster. We don't have nearly as much packed as we should have. We have tons of stuff outside that we never got packed because the weather's been atrocious, cold and snowy, for weeks. There was about a 2-day break where it was in the 50s or maybe 60s, but alas, I didn't run outside and pack up a bunch of stuff while it was like that, and missed my window of opportunity. Today it's cold, windy, and snowy, and not predicted to improve much over the coming days.

We have a bit of a plan though. I took so much crap from the person buying my house that one thing I did get carved in stone is that I have no set date to be out, and they will NOT bother me or come around the place until I am out. If I wanted to, I could take a month to move. I don't plan to take that long (I'm sure I'd get grief for that regardless of what the contract says), but I can have at least a week, and probably two.

We have a truck rented for this weekend. We will move all the biggest stuff that we really need the truck for on Saturday and Sunday, plus all the smaller stuff and boxes we can manage in that time frame. Then, what's left, we'll pick up slowly over the next week, and maybe even get the remainder of it next weekend.

It'll all work out - it'll be busy and hectic and exhausting and exciting and frenzied and maybe even, at some points, fun, but it'll all get done. Eventually.

And in a little over two days I'll be sitting in our pub with a fire in our fireplace and a drink in my hand, listening to the band practice, marveling at my new home. Sad? A little, leaving the old home. Excited? Quite a bit.

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