When Rosemary called yesterday to move our dinner and movie date to this afternoon, she said it was supposed to rain and she thought that was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.
So, because I wanted to go to the arts and crafts fair this morning, before she picked me up at 3:00pm, I decided that going to bed early was necessary. I started to feel tired at around 8:00pm, but I knew that if I went to bed that early I’d only wake up later. I finally shut off the TV at 10:00pm and expected to sleep through the night. No such luck!
I woke up at midnight (my usual 2 hours after falling asleep). I got up, made myself some sugar-free hot cocoa I had left in the cabinet and took two TYLENOL PMs. I figured even though it was midnight I’d still get up at a decent hour.
Cut to my phone ringing at 11:00am and waking me up. It was Eric. He laughed when he realized I was still sleeping, but I explained the situation. I’m so frustrated by my messed up sleeping habits, but he assured me that when I get back to NY I’ll get back into a normal sleeping pattern. I sure hope so!
Anyway, I got up and started doing stuff around the apartment and then got showered and dressed to bring the bicycle box to the bike store. They told me they opened at 1:00pm. I went at 1:30pm and stopped at Starbucks on the way there. Then, I came right home and started taking all the stuff off the shelves in the dining area and taking down the shelves. I was able to get everything down except one screw on one bracket.
I proceeded to lay down drop cloths and spackle all the holes (except the one where I can’t get the screw out of the bracket!). I still have four shelves in the bedroom. Two are too high for me to reach (they’re above the closet doors and I only have a step stool) and the other two I just couldn’t get the screws unscrewed! I guess I’ll ask Bret to help me, but I hate to ask him for anything, because he’s not very enthusiastic about it, even though I’ve given him $50 both Christmases!
I took some pictures this afternoon of the state of the apartment, which – as you can clearly see – is a mess! I don’t know what’s going to happen when I finally get everything in boxes. I’m going to be living in a warehouse! Bret is doing his “final inspection” next week, but he’s certainly not going to be able to get a good look at the carpets or walls the way everything is covered up. Not that there’s anything to hide. This place is – if anything – in better shape than the day we moved in. That’s thanks to our meticulous nature and our slightly obsessive cleanliness!
Anyway, when I left the apartment to bring the bicycle box to the bike shop, it was overcast and you could see that it had rained, but it wasn’t raining anymore. It was windy and chilly. As I drove up to the window at Starbucks to collect my venti decaf nonfat mocha, the sun broke through. By the time I drove home from the bike shop the sun was out, even though it was still a little chilly and windy. I realized that life in San Diego is different from anyplace else I’ve ever known (not that I’ve known that many places), because the sun ALWAYS breaks through. The only time it has been completely overcast is when it rains all day, which has only happened once or twice in over a year.
The truth is, it’s nice to have a gloomy day, an overcast day, a day with no sun shining down on you, because then when the sun comes out it’s just that much sweeter. That’s the secret to life, too. There are always going to be bad days, problems to overcome, obstacles, or just dreary days with no sun. When you get through them, and things get better, you realize how sweet life can be. You appreciate everything more, because you know it can be different. You also know you have survived something you might have been afraid to face. My life now seems so much sweeter, because I have gone through such a hard year, because I have faced so many fears, obstacles, and because I survived – and feel stronger and better than ever.
While I am typing this (and while I was unscrewing and spackling), I listened to A CHORUS LINE. I am excited about the documentary coming out on April 17th entitled EVERY LITTLE STEP. I had not even heard about it until Jimmy sent me the information. If you'd like to watch the trailer for this new film, click here: http://www.sonyclassics.com/everylittlestep/
When I watched the trailer for the documentary, I got chills. It's like that music is in my DNA. I first saw A CHORUS LINE when I was in high school and listened to the album (yes, album!) all the time. Then, I saw it several times with college friends. It was definitely a show that everyone in the theatre related to. It’s everyone’s story, in one way or another.
Here's the dining room wall with all the shelves down and all the hole spackled, except for the one screw still holding up the bracket!
I saw the original production for the last time in the early ‘80s with Eric before it closed. Then, last year I saw the revival with my friend Stephen. It always thrills, and breaks your heart. It is one of the scores that definitely helped shape my life.
Rosemary picked me up at 3:00pm and we drove to the Clairemont Square Shopping Center and had an early dinner at Chili’s. We started with an appetizer of Spinach and Artichoke Dip and we each had a salad with grilled shrimp. It was very satisfying.
Next we drove over to the other side of the shopping center and I used the passes Joe and Miguel had given me to get us into the movies for free! I was wishing I had not eaten so much after a few minutes of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Although it is a fabulous movie, it is another stressful story (just like so many I have seen recently) and I was getting upset from the story.
It was a great film, so deserving of all the awards it won, and I’m sure I will be thinking about it for days to come. After the movie, Rosemary drove me home and helped me bring up a bunch of boxes she had brought for me. She has already given me about a dozen great file boxes, which have the lids attached that flip back, and have the cut-outs on the side, which make them easy to carry. She brought me six more of those and three other regular boxes.
I am determined to use up all the boxes this week and just live amongst the packed boxes for the next few weeks. I am keeping the bedroom clear and since that’s the room where I spend most of my time, it will not be so bad. In this apartment I’m either watching TV in bed or working at the computer. I don’t have a TV in the living room anymore, so I don’t hang out there unless I’m sitting at my desk.
After Rosemary left I got undressed and ready to relax for the night. It was only 7:30pm, so I did some organizing, but I wasn’t going to do any packing tonight. I settled in and watched some of the Sunday Night Line-up – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives (SUCH a good episode!), and The Celebrity Apprentice.
Tomorrow I will do several loads of laundry and continue packing. It’s now less than 3 weeks until I leave, but I still feel like I’m ahead of the game. Let’s see how long that feeling lasts!
Here's a picture of my baby, Conrad, who has been moulting lately and is growing a lot of new feathers on his cute little head. I don't know if you can tell, but he's got a bit of a mohawk going on!
