bureaucracy, or why people should never move, ever

It’s 10:30, I should go to bed in half an hour, and that’s why I keep not blogging, because I never feel like I have time to cover everything. Facebook, with its little one-sentence status updates, is more my speed lately.

But that’s bad, because I should write it all down, or I’ll forget it. I’m already forgetting details, even though I’m in the middle of things right now. Today I dropped off the sign-up forms for our new doctor and made an appointment for a sort of introductory chat. Female doctor, down the street. I am now remembering that one of the new neighbors stopped by for some water (she doesn’t drink coffee, but is very nice anyway) and said that one of the female doctors around here is kind of weird and should be avoided. But now I can’t remember which one she said it was. Hm.

But I digress. This post is about bureaucrats, and the many ways in which I hate them.

’tis the season?

Amy mentions that it’s autumn in New England (hey, did I ever tell you about that time when DrBob gave a guest lecture at Yale on the last Friday before Columbus Day weekend and then, when he couldn’t find a hotel room in New Haven, he decided to keep going north until he found one? Heh. Rookie mistake. He finally tried to park the rental car in a grocery store parking lot somewhere and sleep there, but a cop knocked on the window and told him to move along. Anyway, when he called me at 3 a.m. all I had to offer was, “you thought going further into New England was going to solve your problem? On Columbus Day weekend? BWAAAhahahaha!” I’m such a good wife. But I digress).

why Alke is a superhero

September First.

We arrived at 6:30 or so, and we were supposed to get the keys at 7:30, so we fed the kids store-bought sandwiches and cocoa and waited. Some people explored the neighborhood a bit, some grouchy teenagers who hadn’t wanted to move anyway refused to get out of the car. At the appointed time, an Angel of the LORD (our real estate agent who hasn’t actually given me permission to name him here so let’s call him Michael because that’s an angel-name) showed up with a thermos full of COFFEE. And cups and sugar and everything. Best. Real estate agent. EVER!

notes I took up until the point when my brain melted

(Note to self: edit for length. Be brutal.)

WHOA. Remember how I was… erm, did I blog this? Or just complain about it to everyone I spoke to in meatspace? I couldn’t pack, because the movers were going to do it for us. I couldn’t organize things, because we needed so many of them up until the last day. I’d go through a room and make decisions about everything, and if it was to be gotten rid of, I did that, eventually, somehow, mostly. But if it was to be kept, it had to go back where I’d found it. So none of the rooms ever looked done, so I just kept going through them and trying to get them “ready.” Somehow.

I’m BACK!

Oh, PEOPLE! I don’t even know where to start! This is strange, I’ve gone two or even three weeks without blogging before and didn’t feel like ‘sploding – well, I guess they weren’t such eventful weeks, that must be it. Thing is, we signed up for internet + TV + phone all in one package, so we had nothing but Stargate and Buffy DVDs for two weeks, and now we have unlimited internet (well, there are limits, but they’re beyond anything we’d use) and like 40 skillion channels all at once. (The phone would be less of a distraction even if DrBob hadn’t left it at his office – so yes, we still don’t have a phone.) After the famine, a veritable feast of time-sucking options.

Anyway. There is no way to give a linear account of the move, I’ve tried in a .txt file. Some things that seemed earthshattering at the time are now mere blips on my inconvenience-meter, and will disappear completely very soon. Others, I may never forget. Traveling with a cat is not recommended, for one thing. Also, ALKE is a total superhero! I’ll tell you why tomorrow, unless some adorable new crisis springs up. Believe me, we’ve had more than a few of them this past two (and a half) weeks.

Song du jour of the day: Connected, by Stereo MCs.

just quick

Ignatz used to say that when he wanted to interrupt me. I think he was about three…

Anyway. We arrived safely and all is pretty well, but we are of very limited internet for now. We signed up with the Dutch phone/internet/TV monopoly, and they say it takes 20 work days to get it set up. DrBob phoned from his office to ask them what the hell takes so long, and all phonebitch said was “it says in the contract and we reserve the right blah blah blah.” So my first guess is blistering incompetence, but it’s the only game in town, so we play along or go luddite. Bleah.

Anyway. As soon as we’re flat-rated and not paying for every byte, I’ll update y’all.

love, alala