Here I sit -- in my mother's last-minute Tempe hotel room that she has been gracious enough to share with Joe, Bueller, and myself to save us the fifteen-minute commute to our landlord's "nice" hotel in Mesa. (I dispute the term, but whatevs...)
The last two days have been hectic. We've been productive, but less so than I would have liked. Our power remains off due to, get this, a missing clip on the bottom of the meter box that has already been replaced with a latch higher up on same box. Since Phoenix is like any other municipality, city offices were closed today and yesterday, so all our hopes rest on getting our power finally turned on tomorrow. (I am currently crossing all appendages that are capable of being crossed.) Working strategically in the heat (early in the day, evening, and with lots of water), we've managed to completely empty the Budget truck and return it. Of course -- we had to return it sans the tow dolly. In his excitement to be rid of the behemoth truck and get our $150 deposit back, Joe inadvertently ran over the tow dolly (stowed safely under the truck) as he was attempting to maneuver the same truck into position to hook up that very same dolly. Crunch. Good-bye, deposit! At this point, all concerned say "thank goodness" for the insurance we purchased with Budget before leaving IF. We did, however, make peace with the lost deposit.
Although this move has been extraordinarily frustrating so far (and, really, aren't all moves in some capacity?), I don't mean to say that it hasn't been without its perks. All our belongings are safely in our new townhouse (Joe likes to call it a "townhouse," so I do...), including the bulky furniture which was moved in today. Mom, Joe, and I got most of the kitchen put away, and anticipate that when (if) the power gets turned on tomorrow, we should be able to make significant headway into putting the rest of the townhouse together. I look forward to sleeping in my own bed again, surrounded by (as George Carlin would say) my "shit" more than even I can fathom at this point.
Joe starts work at his new store tomorrow. We were met with a surprise regarding his job on Thursday, however -- a good surprise! While he had originally been told that he would be an overnight assistant, circumstances at the store had changed, and Joe will actually be on days instead -- three on, three off, 8 AM to 8 PM.
Since it's often too hot during the middle of the day to continue working at the apartment, and we world-weary travelers three are afraid of falling asleep if we linger on comfy beds in our air conditioned hotel room, we've spent much of the last two days exploring the area Joe and I now call "home." Tempe should prove to be a fun, vibrant, and interesting town in which to live. International cuisines abound -- middle eastern, Thai, Indian, Russian -- you name it, we've probably got it. Joe and I have already fallen in love with our local Trader Joe's (finally -- we can get fingerling potatoes and microgreens!) and Ikea. I look forward to stocking my home with pretentious foodstuffs and affordable Swedish modular furniture. A trip to the Arizona Mills Mall a mere five minutes from our home had me ecstatically attempting to slip my foot into an honest-to-God size-11 Manolo Blahnik strappy sandal ($398, marked down from $500 -- Carrie would have been so proud). If anything, this proves that cute, fashionable shoes will be much easier to find in Tempe. Huzzah!
I also caught my first glimpse of my new campus yesterday, and I was stunned! What a beautiful setting in which to work! The campus is immaculately maintained and manicured, and is absolutely breathtaking. I saw a sliver of my building, and drove by the building with my classroom for fall. I can't wait to explore all that ASU has to offer!
Oh, and Wal-Marts here sell liquor. That is probably the best thing about Tempe.
More updates and pictures soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment