Rave: Found my next place to live already. Spoiler When my roommate/landlord informed me he planned on selling the house this summer, I felt sick. I really like the house and have a dog and need a workshop too, which means my options are really narrowed. A cursory search on Craigslist confirmed that, especially if I don't want to move to some suburb. So... When I took my dog to a park in my neighborhood a couple weeks ago, he saw someone with a little black dog playing in the snow too and HAD to go say hi to them. Turns out the someone was a friend of a co-worker, actually a guy I've hunted and hung out with previously too, and he was in the park with his dog because he'd just bought a four-plex nearby and had moved into one of the units. He also mentioned one of the units would be vacated this summer ("whaaaat???" I think), so I mentioned I was looking for a new place too. He called me last week and asked if I wanted to take a look at the place, so I stopped by last night. It's just two blocks away from my current place (bonus: within three blocks of two brewery/taprooms), has three bedrooms, is dog friendly, and there's already a shop in the basement. The owner is fully aware of what I plan on doing with the shop too. Rent is on-par with my current place. After the current tenant moves out (who has kept it clean too), he'll paint everything and add new appliances and countertops. It's smaller than where I am now but that's okay, it has everything I need. The tenants in the other two units sound just fine too. We shook hands on the deal last night and he's sending me the lease this week. Move in is June 15, plenty of time to find a roommate or two. tl:dr, I got lucky and it's awesome.
Rant: I'm not sure what's worse - the first major married-person fight I had this weekend, or the fact that I didn't realize the milk in my coffee this morning had curdled until I got to the bottom of the cup and saw chunks.
Rave: Finally moved into my new place and it really great and in an awesome location. Rant: The original mover I scheduled with completely stood me up, with no call or anything. He even called the morning of the confirm his arrival and he never showed up. I called him a bunch of times and he didn't answer or anything. So I had to find someone in a pinch and they really came through in a big way. And the price was good too. It fucked up me for about 3 hours because that was how much of a delay I was working with. I called him today and he answered and when he heard it was me, he acted as if he couldn't hear me on the phone and hung up. I called him again from my work line and he answered and then hung up when he heard my voice. Even though my move is done, I'm just so fucking pissed that someone would fuck with me that way.
Rave: Pay TV is hooked up and the new place is starting to look habitable now. Still have some junk to throw out and tidy up but otherwise it's good being out of the other place.
Rant: A tale of health care in Canada: 2011 - Went to my eye doctor for a question, was told I'd likely need to see a specialist but to apply hot compresses and see if it resolved on its own, because "Specialists can take forever to get an appointment." Problem did not resolve. June 2013 - Went to see same eye doctor. He is gone. New doctor said, "That never would have gone away on its own. You need a specialist." Referral presumably gets written. ... (I hear nothing) November 2013 - Call new eye doctor and ask WTF, when will I hear from specialist. They will "look into it." December 2013 - Call same doctor. Am told that "Specialist clinic is not even looking at referrals until the new year." February 2014 - Call my GP in exasperation to get an appointment through HIM. March 2014 - GP appointment. Tells me that eye doctor referrals "Can sometimes take two years." He pulls some strings because his sister is an ophthalmologist. 22 JULY 2014 - Specialist appointment. We're looking at three years of trying to get resolution, and a full 13 months between the, "You need a specialist," conversation and the actual appointment. Keep in mind, I have yet to SEE the specialist. So far this is a plan materializing from the ether. Anyone who would like to emulate our system, get in line.
Rant: Holy crap, how do people in places like New York, Brussels, Tokyo and more deal with constant international summits? We've just had two days of the Nuclear Security Summit here in my city of the Hague, and I thought everything was ridiculous. I had a police command post outside my appartment, half the main roads have been closed of, police everywhere and a helicopter that likes to hover around exactly above our rooftop. Not only that, but because Obama paid us a visit, they closed a couple of highways. Which is always a nice idea in the most densely populated area in the most densely populated Western country in the world. I feel for the people who live in a city that have to deal with these things multiple times a year. Rave: Went to the shop for some good weed, so I won't be such a prickly asshole in about 30 minutes.
Rant Today I woke up and had the worst sort if irritation on my taint and balls. It fucking sucked walking around anywhere.
FUCK YOU UHAUL! The entire point of an online reservation system is to reserve something. Which is what I did 2 weeks ago. I reserved a moving van from a specific location at 9am for this coming Saturday. Yesterday I got an email telling me my reservation was now for 3:30 for a different vehicle from a location across town. When I called (each location) I was told that online reservations don't guarantee anything, and are often bumped by phone reservations, as the schedulers don't always enter the online reservations the same day they're received. So someone phoned Uhaul yesterday and reserved the equipment I reserved online 2 weeks ago. Guess what they're gonna do about it? Fucking nothing. Now I have to move with my kids underfoot, because the babysitter only had the morning free, and all by myself, because the 2 friends who were going to help have to work that afternoon. What is the point of even having the fucking online reservation system?!?!
I spoke too soon, some idiots just named their daughter Breckyn. What kind of made up bullshit is that?
Rant: Time for another instalment of "You shouldn't be swimming in the fast lane if:" -You only know one stoke, which you invented. -Your workout includes water walking. -You're wearing a fucking t-shirt. Rave: Headed to Europe in a few days! Rant: Just realized the "half your age plus 7" rule puts the age of my youngest bangable partner at 20.5. But I'm staying in hostels! What if I meet a bunch of hot 19 year olds who are backpacking through Europe to "find themselves" or whatever gay crap 19 year old girls do?? Rave: Definitely going to bang all the 19 year old girls I can.
Rant:There's a special place in hell for people who pour their coffee from the pot just as it first starts to brew.
Employees that think higher ups are stupid get sent home at lunch. That's a rant. I think. To answer rep, I was the sender not the sendee.
Rant: My job involves two of literally the most terrifying things I can think of (for me). I have to fly a lot and I have to work at heights. Both of these are new within the last 8-9 months. I was hanging off some scaffolding about 50+ feet off the deck this afternoon and it was all I could do to keep it together. This is compounded by waves moving the ship. It is in port, but still, waves. The guys that do this all the time act like they are just standing on the sidewalk. Blows my mind. Rave: Apparently I still look young. I've had three or four people on this job tell me they thought I was about 25. I'll be 34 in a few weeks. I'll take it.
Rave: Happy with the school I'm teaching at. I don't think there is another school where I can get my students to bring me a bucket of horse manure in a 5 gallon bucket (and not dump it all over my truck) and a snapping turtle. The manure was for my composting redworms and the turtle is to make a soup with.
Rant: Eating an entire box of chocolate chip cookies is not an effective pre-workout approach. Rave: Doing some really cool shit this weekend. Going to be on fire.
RAVE: Officially going to train little goats to wear leashes and backpacks in June! No piglets, alas...but ponies and goats! RAVE: And Bryce Canyon and Zion afterward. Lifelong dreams being realized? Check check check.