I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
Rubic’s Cube and Tetris
This afternoon–as late as I possibly can to reduce Internet withdrawal–I will cancel our Internet service at our old house and we will be disconnected until we can get Internet service at our new house. Hopefully that will not be too long, but the week ahead will be extremely busy. Since I have to approve each comment before it’s visible, any comments posted after the service is cancelled will be in limbo until we are reconnected. Please be patient!
Yesterday the dumpster was delivered. The man who delivered it jumped out of his truck and we discussed where to place it. The dumpster was bigger than I expected and I’m glad I just rented the smaller dumpster because a bigger one wouldn’t have fit in our yard! I thought it was fascinating to watch how the dumpster was unloaded in the tight space without hitting our garage or truck. I spent the afternoon throwing in the junk I had piled in the back yard when I cleaned the basement. I’m sure we will find more junk to throw in it this weekend.
I think that problem solving is like Rubic’s Cube. My mind constantly works through different solutions, trying to find the one that solves the problem. My mind seems to problem solve even in my sleep because many times I wake up in the morning with a new thought or solution.
Photo from Robertvanluan.com.
On the other hand, I think that packing and moving is more like Tetris, in which items have to fit just right in the boxes and tasks have to be timed just right so they fit together. At first the pieces move slowly so I can get them to fit in the right places, but as time goes by the pieces come faster and faster and there is less time to think, so the pieces don’t fit quite so well, and finally there’s no time to think at all and the pieces stack in wrong places and with a scream of frustration I give up and lose. I can’t play Tetris very often because, to quote Jayne Cobb from Firefly (a favorite science fiction TV series) Tetris “damages my calm.”
It was impossible to get the closing changed to today, but I was able to change the time to earlier in the afternoon on Monday. This will eliminate some of the problems–like JJ will have time to shower in the house before going to work and I probably won’t have to drive him to work or pick him up later. This will give me time to get my bearings. Also, the sellers have given me early access to the garage in case the cats are desperate to get out of their carriers before EJ returns from the closing.
For the last couple of months, EJ has been working first shift but on Monday he goes back to working second shift, which at this company is 7 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. Normally second shift is wonderful for us because we can spend time with EJ in the morning and we have time to get errands done. However, I focused on the problems of the cats, EJ at the closing, and getting JJ to work, which is resolved by the earlier closing, but I forgot about the shift change and how it affects EJ’s schedule. He said the earlier closing will not give him time to get much sleep before he goes to work that evening. AHHHHHGH! He solved that problem by asking for Monday off. Problem solved.
Photo: Dogster.com
But then during the night my mind was working on problems and solutions and timing and getting pieces to fit, and I woke up this morning thinking, “Oh, my goodness!” My mind has been focusing on arranging people to help us move and all. I had forgotten that EJ’s schedule was going to change. With EJ’s new schedule, he will have to work until 3:30 a.m. next Saturday morning (June 6th). When he gets to our new home, we will all have to leap into the car and drive hours to our old home so we are there when people arrive to help us move. We will have to help load everything into various trucks, trailers, and cars, and then drive hours back to the new home and unload everything…AND WHEN WILL EJ GET ANY SLEEP?? Oh, my goodness! I forgot to schedule sleep!
I have no solution. I mean, I could offer to drive down state so EJ can sleep on the way, but I have absolutely no sense of direction and get lost super easy. So that won’t work. Neither can I drive on the way back north for the same reason. I could stay down here for another week so that I will be able to be here when people arrive to help us move–and EJ can sleep a little before driving home. None of us would be thrilled by that solution, but it might work. Or EJ could take next Friday off, although he’s already taking Monday off work, and as a new employee I know that he doesn’t want to ask for too many favors. Still, they seem to be more understanding at this new company….? I’m not sure which solution is best so I texted the problem to EJ so he can be pondering a solution too.
Meanwhile, after work today, before driving down here, EJ has to contact the furnace guy to schedule the installation of the furnace, he has to call his two friends to tell them that we can’t use their help this weekend but certainly could use their help moving next weekend, he has to arrange to have the electrical service at the new house switched over to us on June 1, and he has to stop at a Verizon store to help JJ get a new phone. JJ’s phone died this week and I certainly don’t want him to be driving on lonely roads through the Enchanted Forest without a way to contact us if he needs help.
We will spend the weekend working at the old house. Monday morning we travel north–with me and JJ in a car filled of seven unhappy cats. (Danny rides with EJ). The plan is to spend next week tearing out the old carpet in the new house and installing new flooring. Also, we will be painting walls. Also, we need to get new Internet service, get some groceries since we can’t transport many things up with us, and probably a lot of other things that have slipped my mind.
Ai yi yi!
My body is tired, my mind is tired, my foot is hurting, and EJ and JJ are exhausted too. It feels like the Hell Week that Navy Seals must get through during their final week of training. We are beginning to get stressed. Last weekend JJ had sort of a meltdown and tempers flared. A couple of days ago I had a meltdown when my carefully orchestrated plans fell apart. I texted EJ last night that now it’s his turn to melt down.
We will get through this, I know we will, and we will get all settle into our new house and we will be able to relax and enjoy our new surroundings.
Well, I’ve got to go do some more packing. This is what my house looks like this morning. I will be SO GLAD when everything is moved into the new house and I no longer live in a maze of boxes. Disorder and clutter is difficult for me to endure.
I will see you all when I’m reconnected again in the North!
I Love To Go A Gardening 
Rest, rest, rest! I sure hope you figure a way to get some so you don’t end up getting sick or hurt. Accidents happen when over tired. I don’t want to sound gloom and doom, I just want you safe. I will put you in my prayers for now. God be with you.
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