Back on the Saddle

So, my back went out last week and that put every thing on hold. But I am again up and running and The Girl has had her last day of work at her current employer -- we are on the move.

We are still working out details of when the movers will . . . had to go away ~ Zig Zag was helping The Girl bleach the grout in the kitchen, clearly cats are not meant for this sort of task. Short story long, Zig Zag just got hosed down in the sink. I have to say, he was a pretty good sport about the whole thing. OK, back on point. We have a general idea of when the movers will come, which is good. We picked out new carpet for the condo and will schedule that once we have a hard date on when the movers will come. Carpet will be post movers as the movers charge you way too much money and I think naming rights to your first offspring just to move furniture around. Gee Whiz.

We hope to start painting on Monday but the place is still in an overwhelmed state. There are packed boxes in the living room. I am not in a position to move them to the garage and The Girl is still making her way through the garage. A friend suggested hiring local college students (read: young strong people in need of cash) to haul the boxes. That actually seems like a great idea. The place is a wreck but I sort of have a good feeling about the packing. I feel like it is a manageable task. I have been working for just a few days on the big room and have boxed much of it. I have the blue hutch to go through, that will take some time as the candles and the booze are contained in there; it is pretty full. And then the kitchen. While the kitchen will be time consuming I don't think it will be labor intensive. And we have to figure out when to pack the pantry and what exactly in the pantry can make such a long trip. A neighbor offered information on a local spot to donated the canned goods, that is pretty helpful.

I stopped at BikeLine to inquire about shipping The Girl's bike to Palo Alto. She'll need the bike long before the movers get there and I arrive with the car. BikeLine will pack the bike and then we take the box to UPS. On a somewhat related note, BikeLine will also help me geek out the bike I will be using. (DON'T WORRY I already have a ding-a-ling bell) The BikeLine efforts seems good and the packaging fee doesn't seem to be exorbitant. Of course we don't yet know what UPS will charge to ship it. The Girl made some calls yesterday to inquire about shipping the Classical Guitar. It's nice to know it can be done. The information is helpful but at this moment it is looking likely that the guitar will ride with me and Zig Zag.

Oh, Zig Zag's Great Adventure

We took a drive yesterday. Yes, me and the cat took a drive to see how he might do on the road. He borrowed 70% harness and leash and I took a woobie from the house. We started small, just around the corner and he did just fine. We then drove to get coffee ~ it wouldn't be a real simulation if we didn't stop for coffee ~ and then hit the local pet food store. Zig Zag came in the store with me. He was soooooo good. We got cat food for here and for Palo Alto (not sure where the retailer is in Palo Alto and The Girl will be w/o a car for a bit) and Zig Zag got his own harness and leash. He got pink and brown. I think the color combination will compliment his coat and I believe he is secure enough to pull off the pink. On the down side, I really should not have carried him in the store. Ouch. I put him down on the counter while paying and down on the floor while looking for a harness, each time he was very well behaved and didn't try to escape. Those are the qualities that will make him a great driving companion!!!