meanwhile at the ranch

Instead of unpacking and getting my room organized I went out with the roommate to visit one of his clients. They were kind enough to lend me their ranger so I could drive around their property and maybe get a shot or two in. It was overcast and rainy so there were no varmints to take out. However I did run into these guys. They were all over the place, watching me, following me. Mostly because I was feeding them as a distraction so I could open and close the gates that took me from one pasture to another. Unfortunately it started raining so I had to cut my excursion short and return back to the office/barn. I'm craving roasted chicken right now, and I think it's mostly because I could smell the rosemary growing all over the place. Tomorrow I start catching the shuttle into work so I gotta make it an early night, at least until I get the hang of the changes.

so instead ...

I managed to get everything packed and the most of the apartment cleaned up by about lunch. When I stepped out to get some lunch the rain was still coming down.  I was really starting to get irate over having to wait because of it. During lunch I decided that the cost to rent a trailer was worth the I would be saving, and spent the money on one. It's not a matter of not being able to afford it so much as I hate breaking the discipline to not spend after having done so well. All this for $44. I know it's not that much, and it's not the end of the world. And maybe I'm being a little too hard on myself. However when I start full-timing, and living without a steady income it might limit something I need or want to do.

The sun decided to come out while the trailer was being hooked up to my truck. This wasn't a loss in any way though. It was when I was loading everything that I realized I had more stuff than space to carry it all. I would've had to have made two trips with the truck instead of one as I'd originally thought. About two hours later I arrived at the new home where it started to pour again. I'm really glad I spent the money now!

The roommate helped me unload everything in record time despite having to carry it all up two flights of stairs. The beagle got settled in and promptly passed out under the dining table waking up only after we brought back some Indian take out.

All in all today turned out to be a great one for me.

shadows in the rain

This may be my second to last night here in this apartment. I say second to last because I may have to delay my final move out by one extra day due to the rain. It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow and the new place is an hour away. Anyone who has lived any amount of time in South Texas knows this isn't just a light on and off rain either. It's a full on down pour. flash floods, and massive flooding kind of rain. I love the rain, especially Texas rain. I hate delays of any kind. Combinations like this are precisely what strips away whatever hold I have left on sanity.

and it's done

I paid off my travel trailer today! It took two years and two months to do it but she's absolutely mine now. The second quarter bonus I received last month not only put me back on track, it put me over the top. There was enough left over to cover the travel expenses from July, and even allowed me to treat myself by way of the air tank I bought earlier this month. This is what it feels like to get your mind back!

For those keeping score, this was bill #5 and leaves one final bill for me to pay off now. The clock is set for six months and is ticking. Barring no unforeseen setbacks, I will pay it off in March 2013. 

7286 Credit Card

7286 Total

falling into place

So I fell behind a little and didn't get the sofa/assorted items posted for sale until just last Friday. Despite my procrastination and unfounded paranoia that I wouldn't find a buyer who doesn't mind a slightly beagle'd sofa, I managed to sell everything in less than 4 days. Never underestimate a frugal pet owner's need to desperately furnish 2500 sq ft of living space they had just moved into. The new owners will be coming by tomorrow night to pick it up. 

A week and a half before I'm outta here, but I'm another step closer.

silliness

When I arrived last night it took me less time to unload and unpack everything than in the reverse. I've come to realize that this is precisely one of those things that nudges you another step, if ever so slightly, into insanity.

The following morning I was running a few errands with the roommate to be. We saw this and he jokingly suggested using what's in the picture when we stopped get a copy of the apt. key made. Despite it costing $5, I laughed and ran with it. It's an odd but symbolic reminder of the death of one life and that the start of a new one is on the horizon. At least that's how I reasoned it and even justified the cost against my frugality.

i hate moving

It's been busy fast paced good week for me. I managed to sell half the stuff I needed to which is great given that I hadn't put any of it up for sale yet. This leaves me with a couch, fretless bass, and a box of DVD's to sell off. With four weeks to go I hope my luck in unloading this stuff holds out.

I spent most of today packing, watching BSG reruns, and waiting for a FedEx delivery that arrived at the end of the day. The pots, pans, and most of the dishes were ready to go by lunch. My bedroom closet has been emptied and all the boxes are gathered at the front door. I'm officially at the part that I completely loathe, loading all of this stuff into my truck.

This stuff won't move itself, gotta run ...

trading up (sorta, well yeah)

Over the weekend I moved some more stuff up including the trailer this time. The new storage lot isn't as nice as the one I just left, and had me a little worried. The day after I saw for myself that all the storage lots in the area look the same and learned (from the local law) that thefts are nil to low compared to where it used to be stored. Whew!

The Chinese market up here is a warehouse in comparison to where I'm at. I've been able to reacquaint myself with a great many dishes recently because of said groceries. Unfortunately for me, it would really help if I remembered to bring them home with me, so I get to live off of canned and delivery food this week.

Here's the other thing I traded up on this weekend. It looks like a bicycle pump, but it's not. It's a high pressure hand pump for my air rifle. 3000 psi of pressure if you're wondering. It's a great and inexpensive way of refueling my air rifle which only requires a little elbow grease. The upswing is that it makes for a decent workout as you reach the target pressure of the rifle. The downswing is sweat uncontrollably regardless of your level of fitness where I live. I know because I'm in decent shape and watched a coworker whose in better shape melt as he worked on refilling my rifle. Enter the upgrade.

This is a high pressure 4500 psi carbon fiber air tank. It will give me about 10 refills using only a hose, and (thankfully) only the muscles in my hand. It's lightweight and a little taller than a ruler making it easy to take into the field. I mean should I ever need to shoot 320 times during a hunt. Although even with a 50% hit/kill ratio I don't think I would ever be able to consume 160 rabbits/birds from a single hunt. I mean even before the meat spoiled, frozen or not. I'm thrilled because it helps me avoid sweat fests when refilling during target practice. The best part is being able to take part of a holiday weekend sale which saved me a fortune on it.