Moving

We signed the lease on our apartment on Monday, and moved into the apartment on the park on Tuesday afternoon.  Pics to come. 

Moving is a pain no matter where you go.  You just forget how painful it is if you haven't moved for a while. 

Monday afternoon, we spent two hours in a shop signing up for internet.  Tim knew exactly what he needed.  But getting the internet set up takes two weeks, hundreds of dollars of fees, and apparently at least two hours in a shop.  But two hours later we walked away with a data plan to last two weeks, and an appointment to set up the regular network on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, moving day, we received one of the two sets of keys.  The other set had to be tracked down, along with the inventory.  Since the apartment came with everything except towels and sheets, we stuck a set of newly-purchased sheets into the washing machine.  The machine was quite small.  The cycle options were 1 through 3 on cotton, 4 through 7 on synthetics, or wool.  Pick your own temperature, in degrees Celsius.  Let's see.  Sheets are cotton, right?  How about, um, setting 2?  At 60 degrees?  For a nice round number?

As we waited for the washing machine, I scrubbed the kitchen floor and Tim began rearranging furniture.  He thought there was a funny smell somewhere in the apartment, but he couldn't track it down.  While he walked around sniffing, I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed.  The washing machine was still going.  The toilet stopped flushing.  That is, the flush button stopped working.  We turned the water on and then off.  Nothing happened.  No flush.  Maybe it would start again when the washing machine stopped?  The washing machine kept running.  No toilet. 

Two hours later, the washing machine stopped.  We decided the next set of sheets didn't need setting-2 cotton.  Um, setting 3?  Sheets in the dryer.  Warm or hot?  For how long?  Um, an hour?  The toilet still wasn't running.  The sheets came out damp.  The washing machine ran nonstop until bedtime. 

Wednesday morning I called our realtor to ask her to please send a plumber.  Tim was working from the hotel, but arrived at the apartment just before noon, and I hopped on the tram to spend a half day at the university. 

At the university, my computer wouldn't connect to the internet.  The IT staff leaves at 1pm.  Between 12:30 and 1pm, I ran up and down the stairs four times between my office and theirs, trying to get the internet connection sorted. 

Then I tried to call Tim, so he would have my office phone number.  I couldn't dial out.  After three trips up and downstairs again, I was told that within a couple of days they'd set up my phone properly.  Time to go back and relieve Tim from waiting for the internet guy and the plumber.  Since we probably wouldn't yet have internet, I decided to print a paper to read in the morning.  Surprise.  No printer access.  Back downstairs to ask about the printer.  Only IT can help with that.  It's past 1pm, so they're gone.  Fill out a work request? 

Back at home, Tim reported that the plumber had spent 90 minutes cursing out the old toilet and the home decorator who had caulked the lid shut.  But he had gotten it fixed.  The internet was a no show.  Tim called to inquire why, and was told they didn't know.  They'd call him back in 24 to 48 hours. 

Thursday morning Tim found the smell.  It was the rug in the office.  He rolled it up and hauled it out to the balcony, then found he could breathe easy.  We called the realtor to ask if the rug could be taken away?  The realtor brought by the extra set of keys and the inventory in the evening. 

Friday morning the rug was taken, replaced by a brand new rug.  Tim called the internet company.  After two more hours on the phone, he found out that due to some sort of paperwork error, our plan hadn't gone through.  With more time and more fees, he had a new plan set up, and an appointment to install it on January 16.  To compensate us for the extra hassle, they gave him six extra gigs of data to last until January 16. 

And that brings us to this evening. 

In all? Moving is not fun.  But on the other hand, we have this huge living room, an actual table to eat at.  A stove where we can cook.  A full sized fridge.  Separate bedrooms.  A working (now) toilet.  A park in the backyard.  An easy ride to work out the front.

Life is good, though moving is not.

It will be better with internet.