Peppy's Dream Moving Adventure Blog

Stayed in the RV overnight and woke early to get on the road to Sunsetview Farm Campground in Monson, Mass. We left my sister's, went to the supermarket to get bottled water and a few necessities, and then stopped for gas.

Eric has been worrying about the radiator since we left. It seemed to be losing fluid and he was sure there was a leak. It has been weighing on his mind since we got the RV, and he was determined to figure out what it was and get it fixed. Eric is so fantastic and I really respect him, because he knows all about cars and he is very pro-active and always wants everything to be perfect. He is very meticulous about things, and looks after everything so well. I always call him Mr. Maintenance!

Anyway, after we got gas, he climbed underneath and immediately saw what the problem was. It’s some kind of plug in the block and it was leaking the radiator fluid. We decided it was not wise to get on the road with this problem, so we headed back to my sister’s house. Since it was Sunday, there was no one we could call, so we just enjoyed the day. Eric took a ride and I relaxed with the family. We spent a fun night together. Lenae and Rich made another delicious dinner and we watched THE LAST KISS.

This morning Eric and Lenae made a million phone calls, trying to find a mechanic who could look at the RV.  Even though Eric is sure of what the problem is, they won’t order the part until they see it themselves.  Eric headed up to Kingston himself in the RV and waited for them to take a look, see the problem, and order the part.  It was what he thought it was (my genius!), so he came home and will go back tomorrow when they get the part.  It’s so frustrating, because we just started this journey and already there’s a problem.  I know we’re lucky, because we’re comfortable at my sisters and able to do anything we need.  They have cars, so we’re not stranded, and we are happy to be visiting with them, since we so rarely get to see them.  We also have no set schedule, and no where to be at any specific time.  I just feel bad for Eric, because he takes care of all the mechanical stuff, and this has been bothering him since we got the RV and I just want it to get fixed, so we can get on our way and he can have peace of mind.

Eric got back and spent the rest of the day servicing the generator (whatever that means) and working on the RV.  I told you I call him “Mr. Maintenance!”  I didn’t do much except spend some quality time with the family, and we went to Beso, on Main Street, the best restaurant in New Paltz.  I say that in part because my nephew, Eddie, used to work there, but mostly because it really is!  We had the most fantastic meal and came home stuffed, but very happy!

Lenae, Keri and I watched another episode of BIG LOVE.  That show keeps you on the edge of your seat!  So much going on – such a tangled web of lies! 

Tomorrow is a big day – hope to get the RV fixed!

Eric was up at the Ford Dealership in Kingston to get the RV repaired by 10:30am.  I kept my fingers crossed (even though it makes typing REALLY hard!) and hoped they would have the part and the Chinook would get fixed, so we can head out tomorrow morning.  All went well and Eric was back in the afternoon and our little Chinook is back in business!

That means just one more day with my family, which is a little depressing, because we’ve been having such fun.  It’s been such a beautiful time and I really think this is the most consecutive days I’ve ever spent with them!  This has been a blessing, because I love my sister, my brother-in-law, and my niece and nephew so much and we never get to see them, because we live 2 hours away from each other.  Lenae and Rich have been so good and so caring and so considerate and it really has meant the world to me that they have helped us out so much.  Rich, Lenae, Keri and Ed have made what could have been an RV disaster into a wonderful vacation in New Paltz!  I have enjoyed every minute and I know if Eric wasn’t so concerned about the RV, he would have had a better time, too!  I also feel bad, because my sister, Audrey, lives in Albany and we are so close to where she is, yet not able to visit with her.  She was on vacation for the first week we were here in New Paltz, and is now back to work, so unable to make the trip down to see us.

Lenae made the most delicious lasagna dinner for us and, since Eddie is leaving for Cortland on Saturday to go back to college, she made a tray for him and his 5 new roommates.  I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.  It was SO good!

We played Scott’s Granny’s Game tonight, which is a variation of Contract Rummy.  It's a really fun card game, but it's got 7 rounds and can last for hours!  I’m not used to playing with more than 4 (we were six), so it took a really long time!  I didn’t play really well tonight, but it was still a lot of fun.

Well, it was exactly as I thought, only more so.  The train was much closer than it was at TURNING POINT.  I know, because I actually walked from our site (which was right by the main office) to the railroad and it was only 100 steps.  The pictures below were taken standing in front of the RV and then 100 steps closer!

I had the foresight to take two sleeping pills, which really helped.  I still woke up every time the train went by, but I was able to fall right back to sleep, instead of laying there awake.  So, not the best night’s sleep, but still – I slept!

Other than that, the place was actually very nice -- right on Hudson Lake and very quaint and picturesque.

We both got a late start this morning and, since checkout is very early here (11:00am), there was no time for fishing.  We could have stayed, but Eric wanted to get on the road.  So, our fishing adventure will have to wait!

Had breakfast at “The Diner” in New Carlisle and found out that yesterday we had entered a different time zone and didn’t even know it.  The campground where we slept is an hour behind, but a few miles away, where we head breakfast, it was still Eastern time.  It was 11:20am and we found out the place closed at noon (like the other place in Bellingham!).  We rushed over there and were lucky enough to get served before they closed.  We had pancakes and tried something new – fried mush – which is flat squares of fried cornmeal.  Not bad, but wouldn’t order it again!

Got on the road and arrived at Windy City Campground at 2:00pm, but by now we had entered the next time zone again, so it was only 1:00pm.  We parked the RV on our site and Eric discovered that the door covering the LP (liquid propane) heater had fallen off the RV while we were driving.  After many phone calls and aggravation, Eric was able to order a replacement door over the phone and is having it shipped to my parents’ house in Florida, where we will be next week. 

It's always something!  It’s just like Murphy’s law – whatever can go wrong, will go wrong – but, again, we were lucky that we were able to order the part and, in the meantime, he covered it with a piece of cardboard and some packing tape (very attractive).  It’s fine, as long as we don’t use the water heater (and we never need hot water in the RV, because we take showers at the campgrounds).

I felt like I needed some pampering, so we drove a couple of miles to a shopping center and I got a manicure/pedicure while Eric did a load of laundry a few doors down.  I felt bad letting him work while I got my nails done, but I do most of the laundry, and he volunteered!

It felt great to have my nails done, but I sure do miss Cindy and the girls at SUNSHINE NAILS (2219 Hillside Avenue in New Hyde Park).  No one compares to them!  They are so sweet, do such a beautiful job, give you a great massage, and treat you like gold.  This place was okay, but none of the amenities of SUNSHINE NAILS!  And, believe it or not – it was MUCH more expensive!  I can’t believe some things are cheaper in New York!  After that, Eric and I went to dinner at a little Italian place and came back to the campgrounds. 

Eric decided it would be a good idea to rent a car for the weekend, since parking the RV in the city of Chicago would be very difficult.  So, we’re driving a rental car up to see Jerry tomorrow and we’ll go around the city, seeing the usual tourist sights.  Can’t wait to see Jerry – and Chicago!

Forgot to mention yesterday that THE FRIDGE IS BROKEN!!!!  We noticed last week that things just weren’t as cold as they should be, and the fridge was acting weird when you switched from LP (liquid propane, which it runs on when not hooked up to electricity) to electric.  The CHECK light kept coming on (NOT a good sign!).  Anyway, it finally gave out completely.  The good news is: I wasn’t cooking anyway, so there’s not lots of food in there.  The bad news is: now we have no place to keep our bottled water and leftovers!  I think we’re going to buy a bag of ice and a small cooler and just have an ice box – like in the old days.  Remember the ice box on THE HONEYMOONERS?  We eat out most meals, so it’s just a minor inconvenience.  Another, in what is starting to be a long list!

Spoke to my Mom on the phone for about an hour this morning.  We never run out of things to talk about, and she’s so excited that we’re coming.  We will be bringing the RV in for service while we stay with them and will rent another car (maybe another PT Cruiser!).  We made an appointment for Monday, 9/10 at an RV service center in Pompano Beach, which is relatively close to them, so we’re hoping they can get everything in working order.  It will be great to stay with my parents for a few days, and then we will visit Eric’s sister in Ft. Lauderdale.

So, we returned the car and were ready to leave here at 11:00am, but the charging cord I ordered from Dell had not been delivered by DHL yet.  I paid $16 extra for expedited delivery and Dell told me it would be delivered by Tuesday, noon the latest.  I called this morning and DHL promised it would be here by noon, so we hung around the camp ground for an hour.  At noon I called and they said it was guaranteed to be delivered TODAY, but not necessarily by noon.  I was SO mad.  I want to say here and now that I will NEVER use DHL.  I didn't choose them in the first place, that's the company that Dell uses.  I worked in the corporate world for 22 years and ALWAYS used FedEX, UPS, or the reliable U.S. Postal Service!  I never used DHL before and -- believe me -- I will NEVER use DHL again!

Anyway, we hung around the campground for another hour waiting for the package.  Eric wanted to leave, but I was determined, after waiting TWO hours, to wait until it came – no matter how long the wait was.  We saw a DHL truck and got all excited, and then it passed right by!  That was the last straw.  We were both so mad and frustrated.  We were both on the phone and got even MORE frustrated.  Then we fought (NOT fun) and then decided to go get gas, get me Starbucks (so, at least I would be a LITTLE happy) and then go back to the campground.  By the time we got back (2:10pm) it had been delivered, and we got on the road. 

Eric drove us 5 hours straight to Nashville, Indiana (I got to take a nap) and we are staying at THE LAST RESORT RV park, which is really nice.  We even have cable TV and I’m watching THE BIGGEST LOSER special. 

We are hoping to hit West Point, Kentucky tomorrow, so Eric can do some mountain biking.  Today was NOT a great day.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings!

Well, we had a good night’s sleep and a wonderful breakfast prepared by my Mom and Dad.  Then, Eric went outside to put the replacement door on the hot water heater outside the RV.  Of course they sent the wrong door!  What a disappointment.  Now, not only do we have to ship it back, but also Eric had to finagle a new “temporary” cover on the door.  Instead of cardboard, my Dad gave him a piece of plastic and he used packing tape to hold it on.  It will have to work until we get to San Diego, because now Eric doesn’t trust them to ship the correct door and it’s not something you can just walk into a store and find.

The four of us each took turns taking a picture of the other three, so we have four pictures with every combination!

We are going to just relax today, and hang around the house, because we have an 8:00am appointment to get the RV repaired in Pompano Beach.  We will drive there and then find out how long they plan to keep the RV (if they know – it depends on the availability of parts, if needed).  We will rent a car from there (Enterprise – they’ll pick you up!).  We are hoping for another PT Cruiser, but we’ll take whatever we can get!

It’s so pleasant here at my folks’.  They are so happy to have us here, and they are always waiting on us (even though we try to do things ourselves) and just want us to relax and enjoy.  I took a nap this afternoon with my Mom, while Eric went out to do laundry (I think he just needed to get out of the house for a while – he’s not very good at relaxing) and my Dad watched TV.  My mom always calls me her “cloney”, because I am like her clone.  We are alike in so many ways.  We both love to take a nap, and we found out today that we both like to go to sleep on our left sides.  Isn’t that cute?  Anyway, we always find out more and more ways that we are alike.

We went to dinner at a Chinese Restaurant called KINGSBURG.  It was really good and we had a lot of laughs, as always.  One thing about my parents, they’re really funny (I guess that’s where I get it from, if I do say so myself) and they love to laugh.

After dinner we came home and my parents read my blog on my computer, because they don’t own a computer.  They just don’t feel the need!  While they were reading, Eric and I watched Britney Spears open the MTV awards.  I know a lot of people were curious about how she would look and how well she would perform.  Well, she looked okay (especially since she’s had 2 kids in the last 3 years), but her performance was not only completely lip-synced, but also very lackluster.  One thing that girl could do was dance, but she hardly danced at all.  I was very disappointed, because even though she’s not a great singer, I always thought she was a great performer.  Not tonight!

We’re going to head out early tomorrow for Pompano Beach to the RV Repair shop.  The saga continues!

We woke up early this morning and headed to Pompano Beach to the RV repair shop.  I had spoken to someone named “Artie” (a great name) and made an appointment for 8:00am today.  We got there at 8:10am.  The sign said “OPEN” and the gate was open, but no one was there.  Eric got out and looked around, then got back in and said we were leaving.  He said he didn’t see any place where they would work on the RV, and it looked like a scrap yard.  He said there were shovels and paint rollers on the ground.  It was very run down and Eric didn't think it was a good place to leave the RV.  So, we left and came back to Delray Beach. 

Eric has said for the past few days that he thought the brakes needed to be replaced and that was more important than the fridge and toilet (which really are just a minor inconvenience since we eat out all the time and stay at campgrounds).  Now, since it didn't work out fixing the inside, he wanted to find a place that would replace the brakes.   After we had breakfast with my Mom, Dad came home from playing tennis and he called his mechanic, who said he could do it, and they went right over.   Unfortunately, the brakes were completely shot, as well as the rotors and calipers.  All had to be replaced.  A MAJOR brake job.  We hope to have it back by Wednesday afternoon. 

Now, I know you’re probably all thinking, “Didn’t you get the RV checked out before you purchased it?”  Well, we DID.  It was checked out by a local Whitestone mechanic (not someone we had a relationship with), and we were also told by the seller that it was COMPLETELY checked out by his RV mechanic.  Well, both did a TERRIBLE job, because there were so many things wrong with it!  If we weren’t in the midst of selling our house and so overwhelmed with all that it entailed, Eric would have been able to check out everything himself – and even make all the repairs.  He is capable and knowledgeable.  But we were going CRAZY with all the stress of emptying the house and packing for San Diego, so buying the RV kind of got pushed to the back burner.  We’re lucky there was nothing wrong that caused us to get stuck on a road in Kentucky somewhere, but still, it’s been disappointing that so many things have gone wrong with the RV in just one month.  I don't think the people who sold it to us were trying to pull one over on us.  I just think they trusted their mechanic, and he took advantage of them.

Anyway, I’m happy to report that I got an appointment to get my touch-up.  My roots were just terrible and I really needed it – BAD.  I couldn't wait, because I always feel like a new woman after I get my touch-up (you know – blondes have more fun, but not with roots showing!).  I got a trim, too.  I had been going to LE SALON for 4 years (272 Hillside Avenue, Williston Park, NY  11596; 516-739-8600) and Emily is the best colorist anywhere around.  Julie used to cut my hair, and she always did a great job, too.  I recommend Le Salon very highly!

I ended up going to a place called REGIS SALON in the BOYNTON BEACH MALL in Delray Beach.  My stylist, Songyea Stadmiller, did a great job of matching my color and gave me a great haircut, too.  Eric and my Mom accompanied me to the mall, and they walked around while I got my hair done.  My Mom is so cute, because she told Eric to give her a big hug, because she wanted people to think she had a boyfriend – a TALL boyfriend!  Of course, he complied!

We are going to stay in tonight and just have dinner at home for a change.  We’ve been eating out so much, it’s nice to stay in once in a while!

This is probably going to be the longest blog I’ve ever written, but today was “one for the blogs.”  Read on and you’ll see why!

We got a pretty early start leaving MOAB, stopping at the PEACE TREE CAFE for an energizing breakfast.  Eric had a Peanut Butter Wrap – Chunky peanut butter, granola, banana, apple, & blueberries wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla, and a Watermelon Burst Smoothie – watermelon juice, pineapple sherbet, strawberries and peaches.   I had a Roma Egg Wrap – Scrambled eggs, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach wrapped in a sun-dried tomato tortilla, and Garden Sweet -- fresh-squeezed juice of carrots, beets, celery and cucumber.  Delicious and oh-so-healthy! 

We drove for a while and I was feeling really thirsty so we stopped in Bluff, Utah for coffee at COMB RIDGE COFFEE.  This place seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere, but inside it was so lovely.  Big tables and chairs, couches, a desk with computer, and racks of magazines made it a place in which you’d like to stay for hours. 

There is a table with jewelry for sale on display, and paintings all around by local artists.  They not only provide delicious drinks, but support the diverse and unique artisans in the Four Corners area.  It was wonderful!

After that, we headed south to FOUR CORNERS, where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet.  It is the only point in the United States shared by four states.  It was surrounded by booths where American Indians were selling jewelry, pottery, etc.  I managed to take two pictures of Eric sitting on the floor, which is the monument, but the batteries on my camera went dead (again).  We met four young people from the Czech Republic there and I took pictures of them with their camera and they took our picture with their camera and emailed it to me, so I have one of me and Eric together.

We hit the road, heading west to US-191, so we could go south to the Petrified Forest in Arizona, where we were staying tonight in a nearby campground, but we got a flat.  We didn’t even realize it, until another driver notified Eric, because it was on one of the four back tires.  Eric felt like the RV wasn’t handling well, but it was so unbelievably windy that he thought it was the wind pushing the RV.  We pulled over to the side and we both got out.  We were, literally, in the middle of nowhere.  Desert to the left and desert to the right, for as far as the eye could see.  Not the kind of desert you picture – all sand dunes and maybe an oasis somewhere in the distance.  This was the Arizona Desert with sand, dirt, and short shrubs – no oasis.

Eric proceeded to try to change the flat.  I kept telling him to let me call GOOD SAM CLUB, because we have roadside assistance, but he wanted to do it himself.  After a few minutes a sheriff pulled up and stayed around while Eric tried to get the tire off.  The conditions were so hard, because we were on the edge of this ravine and it was SO, SO windy!  Stuff kept blowing into the ravine and either the sheriff or Eric (or I) would go and get it.   Eric was also getting all kinds of sand and dirt in his eyes.  It was horrible.

Eric just couldn’t get the flat tire off and he and the cop couldn’t figure out why.  He was using a hammer, a crow-bar and still it wouldn’t budge!  Meanwhile, I called GOOD SAM CLUB and they said they were sending someone, but it would probably be about an hour.  It was 5:30pm, so we expected them to come by 6:30pm and were hoping they’d get there before it got dark.  The sheriff left and Eric finally got the tire off, but discovered that the inside tire on the same side was also very low on air.  He fixed the flat, but the spare was low on air, too, so we decided to wait until the tow truck arrived, to see if he had a compressor to fill up the low tires.

Eric said we should probably get four new back tires (we just got two new front ones), because they’re all pretty old.  It will be expensive, but I guess better safe than sorry!  The flat we got today is the one we took from the front and put on the back when we got the two new front tires!

We waited until 6:30pm and, when the tow truck still didn’t arrive, I called GOOD SAM CLUB back up and they put me on hold to find out what the story was.  The guy came back on and told me that the tow company couldn’t find someone to send out, but they never called me to let me know!  I was SO mad.  I told the guy that I understood if they couldn’t find someone, but how could they not let me know?  The guy said he was going to call the police to send assistance and I said we HAD assistance, but we let the cop go, because we thought a tow truck was coming!  Thank goodness another cop came soon afterwards.  We don’t know if a passing trucker called in that there was an RV with a flat, or if they just drive along this road very often, but we were SO lucky.

We have had the BEST experiences with police throughout our trip.  First, Eric got pulled over for having his license plate covered (by the tarp covering our bicycles) and ended up having a great conversation (and no ticket).  Then, we had two of Arizona’s finest stop to help and both were very concerned and helpful.  Good Sam?  Not so much.

Eric finished changing the tire while the second cop kept traffic away and then stopped traffic completely, so that Eric could make a u-turn and we could head back towards Four Corners, because I had found out (using the computer) that there was a GOODYEAR TIRE store in Farmington, New Mexico, and we were going to head there to stay overnight and go to the tire place in the morning to buy four new back tires.

By the time we left, it was after 8:00pm.  We had to drive 40 miles per hour, since the spare and the tire next to it were both very low.  Eric went to a gas station and tried to fill the tires with the compressor, but we know (from previous experience) that those things never work well and he wasn’t able to fill them at all.  So, we drove at a snail’s pace all the way (over 50 miles) to Farmington, New Mexico.

I had researched on the computer and found out about a campground right in Farmington (where the GOODYEAR place was), so we headed there, exhausted and dirty – me from standing in the windy dust and Eric from lying on the ground for 2 hours changing the tire (he was filthy).  We washed as good as we could in the RV, but we both desperately needed a shower.

We drove, nervously, and by now we were both hungry, too, so when we got to Farmington we decided to find a place to eat and were lucky enough to go into a place called EMILIO’S GRILL & BAR.  They were about to close, since it was 10:00pm, but we told them we had a flat and were exhausted and hungry and they welcomed us in and fed us the most delicious meal.  They were cleaning and shutting down for the night all around us, but they took such good care of us and were so kind.  They spoke Spanish, and not much English, but we managed to communicate our thanks and gratefulness to them.  I was so mad at myself, because I couldn’t remember any of my Spanish, except to keep saying I was sorry and thank you!

We finally pulled into the RV place around 11:00pm, but it was completely dark, desolate looking and very run-down.  We thought it might be dark because it was so late, but we have arrived very late at other campgrounds and there’s always some activity and some lights on.  We realized it was deserted, and wasn’t even open for business.  It looked like the Bates Motel of campgrounds and I got the creeps.  We got out of there FAST.

We saw a sign for another campground, so we headed there and were so relieved to see that the office was still open and there were actually people inside.  I went in to register and told them that we had a flat, had been on the side of the road for hours and just wanted to take a shower.  They informed me that the campground had no showers.  Now, we have been to at least 20 campgrounds across the United States of America and this is the FIRST time a campground didn’t have a shower!  They said they only had an outside bathroom (I didn’t ask for details on what that even meant).  So, of course, we left.  We were laughing, because it was so ridiculous, but also so tired and frustrated that we felt like crying, too!

We had seen a WAL-MART and had heard many times that RVs are okay to park there overnight, so we went and parked and washed up as good as we could in the RV bathroom and just fell into an exhausted sleep.  All I can say is, “What a night!”

We woke up at 9:00am this morning at CANDLESTICK RV PARK. We were renting a car from ENTERPRISE (they’ll pick you up!).  They picked us up at 11:00am.  We had asked for a mid-sized vehicle, so Eric could get the bike in there, if he needed to, but all they had was a mini-van and we were in a hurry, so we took it (free upgrade).  I feel like I should be picking the kids up from soccer, but – hey – it gets us where we’re going!

Eric wanted to get the RV aligned, so we drove to San Rafael in two vehicles. I was in front with Betty (the GPS system) in the mini-van, and Eric followed behind in the RV.  We got to BRANDON TIRE at about 1:00pm.  They took the RV for a test drive and then proceeded to do the alignment.  Meanwhile, right down the block was a diner called PHIL’S CAFE, so we had lunch.  After a fast lunch, Eric went back to wait for the RV to be finished.  I was going to drive around San Rafael in the rental and then meet him back at the shop.

Unfortunately, before I had a chance to even drive away, he called to say that there was more work that needed to be done on the RV.  The ball joints were “shot” and need to be replaced.  They couldn’t even align the truck without doing this work.  Eric said the truck would be much safer and run much better with the ball joints replaced, so they are doing the work tomorrow (they had to order the parts).  It is just one more repair we have had to have done in the last 11 weeks.  Eric said we have invested so much in this RV that we have to keep it!  I want to keep it anyway, and now we know it is in good shape and is “road worthy.”  We didn’t pay much for it, so I figure it was inevitable.  We could have paid $10,000 more and had less headaches, but you get what you pay for!

We got back to the campground at about 3:00pm and I needed a Starbucks – badly!  I programmed Betty to take us 2.5 miles to the nearest Starbucks and got my iced latte in a neighborhood called NOE VALLEY, which is considered an upscale yuppie neighborhood.  There were lots of interesting stores and restaurants on the strip.

When we got back to the campground, we relaxed for a while before going in the rental to pick Jimmy up at his apartment.  He took us to a great restaurant in North Beach, San Francisco’s renowned Little Italy.  This fabulous restaurant is called THE STINKING ROSE (“It’s Chic to Reek!”).  They say, “We Season our Garlic with Food!” 

We started with Bagna Calda, (Garlic soaking in a hot tub): “Garlic cloves, oven-roasted extra virgin olive oil and butter with a hint of anchovy.  A wonderful treat for spreading on our house-baked focaccia bread.  Served at your table in an iron skillet.”  WOW!  We love garlic and it doesn’t get much better than this.  We were oohing and ahhing.  As my mother always says, “My mouth was having a party!”

Then, we shared a large Sizzling Iron Skillet of Roasted Mussels, served with tiny pots of melted garlic butter.  We also love mussels, and I’ve never had them like this before.  Dipping the roasted mussels into the butter was heaven on earth.  I must say the only place I’ve ever had mussels that compared to this was at WATERZOOI, a fabulous Belgian Bistro in Garden City that serves mussels that have been cooked in big pots with all different seasonings, like Fra Diavlo, Creole, Thai, Provencal, or Paella.

Back to the Stinking Rose!!!!  After indulging in all the bread and garlic cloves, and the mussels in garlic butter, we each had an entrée.  Eric had the Sea Bass, with asparagus and acini de pepe.  I had the angel hair pasta with fresh tomatoes, olives, basil and roasted garlic.  Jim had the spinach fettuccine, with chicken, asparagus, roasted tomatoes and pine nuts.

We know we’re going to offend everyone who comes within “sniffing distance” of us for at least a day, but it was worth it!

We didn’t even look at the dessert menu, because we decided beforehand that we would go back go GELATERIA NAIA for some more gelato.  It was THAT good!

I had two flavors: Ferrero Rocher and Dark Chocolate.  Jimmy had Chocolate Covered Cherry and Stracciatella, which is a cream gelato with chocolate chips.  Eric had FOUR flavors (because he got a bigger size than us).  He had Gravenstein apple, cantaloupe, dark chocolate and one other that we can’t remember the name of!  The best was the Gravenstein apple.  It tasted SO much like an apple.  FABULOUS!

We dropped Jimmy off at home and headed back to the campground.  We have to get up REALLY early tomorrow, because we have to be back in San Rafael at the repair shop by 7:30am.  We’re going to leave the RV for them to fix and we’re going to MUIR WOODS and SAUSALITO.

It should be a fun day, but of course the most important thing is getting the RV fixed.  After all, it’s ALL about the RV!!!

I had a pretty good Monday at work today.  My “morning boss” is on sabatical for a month now, and the woman who I work with was back today after being on vacation for a week and sick for 3 days.  She had over 400 emails to go through, so I didn’t have much to do this morning.

I was very busy in HR this afternoon as they now have four jobs posted at different websites, like DICE, MONSTER and CAREER BUILDER.  So, I was pretty busy all afternoon.  Today, when we went down to the coffee cart after lunch, one of the girls put her arm through mine, so I would stay with them while they all got their coffee.  I usually run back upstairs right away, because I feel like I’m taking advantage if I stand around with them, since I get paid by the hour.

They are so sweet, because they want me to stay and talk.  Today, I did and I was telling them that years ago I met Varla Jean Merman, whose costume won the challenge last week on PROJECT RUNWAY.  I told them that a good friend of ours, Ricky Ritzel, used to play for Varla Jean and that I was lucky enough to see her perform a few years ago.  She’s pretty fabulous!  A few of the girls watch PROJECT RUNWAY and they were so excited.  They said, “Peppy!  You should write a book!  You’ve had so many different adventures!”  I said, “My mother always says the same thing!”

Actually, I’d love to write a book, but I know so many people whose lives are far more interesting than mine!  I guess I’ve just done a lot of different things, and had a few different careers.  I always try to think of life as a big adventure.  It’s my daring, devil-may-care, optimistic attitude that got us in our current trouble.  If I wasn’t so adventurous and didn’t want to move all the way across the country, Eric and I could be happy in our little house in Whitestone right this minute.  Okay, so I wouldn’t be totally happy, but at least he wouldn’t be totally miserable!

Actually, Eric really impressed me today.  He detailed the inside of the RV, so I could photograph it this afternoon.  We've wanted to put it up for sale for weeks, but he just couldn’t get his act together.  He finally cleaned it up and I photographed it.  Then, we went to Pacific Beach for sushi at HAIKU and then drove to Hillcrest for gelato. 

When we got back, Eric worked out (miracle of miracles) while I downloaded all the pictures and then we worked together to put an ad on CRAIGSLIST.  Then, I made a flyer, to put up at work.  I was all done and started blogging at about 9:20pm.  At 9:30pm Eric’s phone rang.  The ad had been on CRAIGSLIST for about 20 minutes and it was a guy calling about the RV!

Eric spoke to him and he wants to come tomorrow to see it and he’s bringing a cashier’s check!  The only problem is, we’re not sure if there’s going to be a problem, because the RV is registered in NY and the address on the title is our old house in Whitestone.  I don’t know how these things work.  Do you have to re-register a car and get a new title when you move?  If so, we’re screwed, because titles take WEEKS, if not MONTHS to come in the mail.

We decided Eric would get up early tomorrow and go to DMV (which is about a mile away).  He’ll ask them about the registration and the fact that we no longer live at the address listed on the title.  I can’t imagine it’s a problem, because people move all the time, but who knows?  We sell cars (and RVs) so infrequently.

Why is everything so complicated?  We were so happy that we got a call from a serious buyer so fast, but now it may be impossible to sell – even if we have a buyer!  We really should have sold the RV last fall – as soon as we got here, but we really weren’t sure we wouldn’t use it again.  Also, since we had a free parking space for it, there didn’t seem to be any urgency, because it wasn’t costing us anything.  Now, I wish we had sold it last year, because now he’s got to deal with this.  I’m glad that he’s doing it, instead of me!  I’ve got enough on my mind!

Let's all keep our fingers crossed (even though it makes typing SO difficult) that there are no problems and the RV is gone from the parking lot when I get home from work tomorrow.  Wouldn't that be nice?

So, there’s a lot going on – a lot going wrong.  I hesitate to even spill it all here, because I know you’re all feeling sorry for us already, and this is just going to put you over the edge, but – here goes!

First of all, Elsa and I were late to work today – and it was mostly my fault.  I called her last night at 10:30pm to tell her I had to go to DMV with Eric this morning, because we had to solve a problem with the title on the RV.  Then, Eric spoke to the guy who wants to buy the RV and he said we didn’t need to go to the DMV.  It was too late to call Elsa back, so I waited until this morning.  She was running late, thinking she didn’t have to come pick me up, but she did, so we didn’t get to work until about 8:30pm.

Not a big deal, but that’s not the problem!!

Okay – Problem #1.  Eric is able to take money from his annuity before retirement – tax free – in order to get reimbursed for medical expenses.  So, we were expecting a reimbursement for several months of our COBRA payments – and it was a big check.  The check never showed up.  I called the union on Monday and they told me the check was mailed on August 11th.  We just never got it!  So, the union said Eric had to mail a letter (which he did – last night) saying that he never got his check and to please investigate and put a stop on it, if it wasn’t cashed.  If it WAS cashed, he'll have to sign an affidavit that he never got it and he didn't cash it.  Nice, huh?

Problem #2.  Every Friday my temp agency mails my check and I always receive it on Monday.  Every Monday – except this Monday.  I never got my check.  I spoke to the agency this afternoon (Tuesday) and they said I have to call back on Thursday and if I haven’t received it they’ll put a stop on it and issue me another one. 

Pretty big coincidence, don’t you think?  Two of our checks disappearing?  I’d think someone was stealing our mail, except I’ve been getting other people’s mail a lot lately.  I think the mailman is just a total loser.  Just today we received three pieces of mail that belong to the people in #19.  The other day I received something that belongs to my next-door-neighbor – and it looked very official and very important.

I really don’t think if someone else in the complex accidentally got our checks that they would necessarily try to cash them.  I really don’t, but we’ll see if either of these checks were cashed.  Wouldn’t it just be our luck if someone had stolen our identities and was cashing our checks?   Wouldn’t that just be the icing on the cake?

Meanwhile, I had a problem with the mail delivery a few months ago, because a friend sent me a card and it was returned as “unable to deliver” just because she forgot to put the apartment number on it!  I went to the post office to complain and made a fuss and said I was afraid I wasn’t getting my mail, just because someone might have forgotten to put an apartment number on it.  Maybe the mailman got in trouble and now he’s stealing our checks, because he hates us!  Is that paranoid?  I can’t figure what else it could be!

On to Problem #3.  As you know, we decided to sell the RV.  We got a very interested buyer, who actually drove over 100 miles today to see it.  He’s owned two Chinooks before and has been looking for another one.  They don’t manufacture Chinooks anymore, so they’re only available used.  He loved it and wants to buy it.

Unfortunately, we’re having a problem with the title.  Being 3 hours behind and 3,000 miles away from the NY DMV, you can imagine our frustration in trying to get this resolved.  It will get resolved eventually, but it may take weeks – if not months – for us to get the new title and Eric will be in NY by then, and if this guy isn’t willing to wait, the selling of the RV will fall on my shoulders.  It’s not like I can’t handle a sale, but obviously Eric knows a lot more about it than I do and I can’t take them for a test drive!

So, there’s the top three problems of our day.  Doozies, eh?  Missing checks and problems with the NY DMV.  The good part is that Eric and I have been dealing with all these problems without fighting, and working as a real team.

I was really impressed by Eric today.  I know this was definitely enough aggravation to put him over the edge, but he’s calm, he’s helpful, and he’s taking charge.  I was SO stressed at work today and I was on the phone and on the computer trying to get this all figured out for at LEAST 2 hours.  He did a lot of the footwork, but my name is on the title, so they want ME to call, instead of him.  He did everything he possibly could – making calls left and right, but in the end neither of us was able to resolve it today.

I was apologizing to everyone I work with, because I had to go into my boss’ office to make some calls in the morning, and then when I went downstairs I went into an empty office and I was in there for a half hour! 

Tonight, when Elsa and I were walking to her car, she said, “I want you to put in for eight hours today, and I don’t want you to worry about it.”  It’s so funny that she said that, because it was like she read my mind.  I was actually thinking that I should only put in for 6 hours, because that’s about all I worked.  She said that I work through lunch all the time, and I’m never late or out sick, and she knows how responsible I am.

This group of people I’m working with are SO nice.  Thursday is my 7 month anniversary with the firm, but you have to realize I’ve worked with three different groups in that time, so it’s not like I’ve been with the same people that whole time.  Still, I’ve really made friends.  I really feel appreciated and liked and it’s great to know I've got people who care about me, even if we're just co-workers.

So, I’ve got another decorating job.  Okay, so I’m not charging, because they’re both friends at work, but at least it’s fun and takes my mind off my problems.  This guy who works with Bob (and is also a good friend at work) has a 3-floor townhouse and he’s been there for a year and he and his 2 cats haven’t done a thing.  He’s divorced and he just doesn’t know the first thing about decorating.  Enter Peppy!  I got him so excited about picking out colors for walls, furniture, and accessories that he was so happy when he left my desk this afternoon.  I told him we don’t have to worry about finishing Bob’s project first.  We can start the second while I’m still working on the first!

Bob is thrilled with all his paint colors, except the painter didn’t do a great job and you can see some of the flaws in the walls now that there’s a darker color on some walls.  It just kills me, because if Eric did the job the walls would have been PERFECT.  No one does a job like Eric.  He’s a perfectionist and is so thorough and neat.

So, here’s something funny.  Last night, I told Eric what Bob told me about the flaws in the walls.  I said, “Bob said that now that the paint is on the walls, you can really see the flaws.”  So, Eric said, “What’s wrong with the floors?”  His floors are in great shape!”  So, I said, “Not the FLOORS, the FLAWS!  The problem is – with my NY accent, they sound exactly the same!  Bob thought that was SO funny when I told him today!

So, Eric and I are nervous wrecks.  We want our money and we want to sell the RV, so we can have MORE money.  I wanted Eric to be able to take the RV money to NY, so he would have something put aside for all his expenses the first few months, in case he doesn’t find work right away.  It stinks that we won’t be able to do that.

It’s amazing how you can have bad days, when everything seems to be so bad you can’t imagine it getting any worse.  Then, there are better days, when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Today was both.  It was so stressful and nerve-wracking and I felt sick every time I thought about it all, but I also felt better than I have in a while, because Eric handled all these problems so well and was so good about it all.

When I got home, we discussed everything and I tried to take a nap, but it just wasn’t happening.  Eric wanted to go out to eat (his favorite past time), but I just didn’t have an appetite or the energy.  So, I had a bowl of Cherrios and Eric had some salad and a NUTRISYSTEM soup.  We did some channel-surfing, because there wasn’t much on, and I blogged. 

Tomorrow the MAYFLOWER man is coming to see what Eric wants to take back to NY.  He’s going to ship a lot of his stuff and put it in storage until he gets a place.  I’ve always hated storage, because I think it’s just throwing your money away, but I guess there are some times when it’s a necessary evil.  His sister, Susan, has said he’s welcome to stay with her as long as he wants, but she doesn’t have any place for his stuff.  He thought about dividing it up amongst friends, but I told him he’d drive himself crazy that way and there’s a good storage place walking distance from Susan’s house in New Hyde Park, so he can just put everything there and if he needs anything he can go get it, and it will be safe until he gets his own place.

If it ends up staying there until I come back to NY, that’s okay, too.  What can you do?  Sometimes you have no choice but to spend money on stuff that’s not necessarily the smartest way to go, but Eric wants his stuff with him and doesn’t want to leave it all here.  I think it will make him happy to have access to his tools, his bicycles, and his stereo, etc., when and if he wants it.

So, as bad as things seem (and they are bad), we’re both hanging in there.  We’re not crying, we’re not crumbling, and we’re not taking it out on each other.  I think that’s pretty great, don’t you think?  How is it I always find the silver lining?  I have NO idea!

One of the girls in HR was celebrating a birthday and, as usual, we had a party.  She requested IN & OUT BURGER, so two of the girls went and picked up lunch for everyone.  They only have burgers at IN & OUT BURGER, but they actually had grilled cheese, so I got that and french fries (not diet food, I know).  The funny thing is, one of the girls told me it’s not really grilled cheese, it’s exactly like a cheeseburger, with the bun, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and cheese, but there’s no burger.  She ordered the same thing as me.

That sounded great to me, and hers was just like that, but mine was just a bun with some cheese melted inbetween.  It wasn’t grilled either.  It looked like it was put in a microwave to melt the cheese.  PLUS, by the time they got it back to the office it was cold.  We all laughed and discussed the mystery of why one of the girls had the full sandwich with everything on it, and mine was just plain cheese and a bun.  The girls who placed the order ordered two grilled cheeses.  The only thing we could figure out is that two different people made them!

They felt bad and kept asking me how it was, and I didn’t want them to feel bad (especially since one of the girls was treating me), so I ate it and said it was good.  At least the french fries were great!

We laughed a lot (as always) and everyone went around the table and told what they were doing this weekend, which started lots more conversations.  I told the girls that I had never met such a great group of girls who support each other, work so well together, laugh so much, and are such a great team.  They were all pleased to hear it.

We finished with a delicious sheet cake with a tropical theme.  I had a small piece, but I could have eaten half the cake.  One of the girls’ friends made it and it was SO good!

So, here’s the latest scoop on the RV.  We have been told that if you have the original title and the original lien release letter, you can sell it with a lien on it.  We don’t really have a lien on the RV, but the DMV in NY messed up and issued us a new title with the old lien from the previous owners.  We thought we’d have to get a new title, which takes weeks, but now we do not think we need to.

The old owners talked to the bank and the bank was supposed to send a new original lien release letter to their branch in San Diego.  Eric’s been calling that branch every day, asking about the letter, but it didn’t arrive.  Then, today, the old owners (and they ARE old) called to say the letter was sent to THEM instead of the bank here, so now THEY have to send it to US and WE will mail it to the buyer.

Meanwhile, the buyer was coming today.  He said he was willing to pay cash and take the RV with the signed title and the copy of the lien release and we’d mail him the original when we got it.  Made sense.  Sounded good.  Unfortunately, he couldn’t get a ride here today, so he’s supposed to come tomorrow.  I copied a BILL OF SALE from the internet and that, combined with a copy of the signed title, is all the documentation we will need.

We already took off the plates and I will surrender them by mail on Monday, if the RV goes tomorrow (and we REALLY hope it does!).

When I got home from work I took a nap.  I really needed it.  When I woke up, I worked on the computer and we had corn dogs.  Then, we watched the new episode of MONK – his 100th episode!  It was really great, and they brought back a lot of characters from past episodes.  We really enjoyed it (as usual!).  I can’t recommend this show enough.  It’s funny, sweet, and has really great writing and wonderful actors.

I wrote about our niece, Melissa, weeks ago, because she was ill, is still not well.  She will be having an operation next Wednesday.  It turns out that the problem relates to an accident she had when she was 12.  Her liver was badly damaged and they repaired it.  Apparently, there is a problem with the repair (after 20 years) and now they have to operate to fix it.  My poor, darling, sweet, Melissa.  She has been through SO much these last 3 months.  Can you imagine not being well and suffering from horrible symptoms for 3 months and they can’t help you?

Finally, they know what needs to be done and they’re going to do it.  They DID diagnose her problem immediately when she was in the hospital in July, but they weren’t able to figure out what to do about it until now.  Such a terrible, frustrating situation.  I wish I was there with her in NY, but Eric will be there soon enough and he will visit her and let her know how much she is loved and missed by both of us.

We have no plans for the weekend, except I see a big celebration in our future if the RV sells tomorrow.  Dinner and a movie?  Maybe a trip to Pappalecco in Little Italy for some gelato.  Who knows?  I just know we’ll be happy and more lighthearted when that RV is out of the parking lot (and the PT is in!)

We did watch a movie last night – JUNO, which we had never seen.  What a sweet movie.  We both really enjoyed it.  We love that Michael Cera, who was so amazing in SUPERBAD.  He’s now in some NICK & NORA movie (we’ve seen the trailer several times) and it co-stars one of the girls from HOUSE BUNNY who also played the teenage daugher in THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN.  She’s great, too!

This morning we woke up and just relaxed around the apartment.  We watched VIVA LAS VEGAS on TMC and we both really enjoyed it.  It's great to watch movies on TMC, because they're uncut and there are no commercials.  VIA LAS VEGAS is my all-time favorite Elvis movie, and I adore Ann-Margret, so the fact that she’s in it has a lot to do with it.  I actually sang a song from that movie in one of my cabaret acts – MY RIVAL IS A BABYBLUE RACING CAR!  What a great movie!

The RV guy was supposed to call at noon, but when I left to go food shopping at 1:00pm, he still hadn’t called.  Eric had said he would go shopping with me, but he wasn’t feeling great, so I just told him I’d go and walked there myself with my cart. 

As I was checking out he called and said he had walked over and as I hung up the phone he appeared!  He didn’t want me to have to carry the stuff up the stairs.  It’s not so bad in the cart – much better than carrying all the packages from the car!  Anyway, it was so sweet of him and we walked back together.  I really appreciated it.

He carried the cart up the stairs and helped me put everything away.  Then, as we were watching UNDER THE YUM YUM TREE, the RV guy called and said he was on his way and should be here by 4:30pm.  I told him that I thought he was stringing us along and that if he didn’t show up today we were accepting another offer.  He said he was just trying to get someone to drive him down and that he was sincere and he had every intention of buying the vehicle. 

RV guy told us he would be leaving at 2:30pm.  At 3:30pm the phone rang.  It was his friend, explaining that he couldn’t bring cash and could only get a cashier’s check.  He explained to us that he was the one lending RV guy the money.  Why RV guy didn't call us himself, I'll never know.  Maybe he knows he's driving us crazy.

We had told RV guy that we would only accept cash.  I told his friend that we were really getting tired of all this.  He said the guy was really an honest guy, and had every intention of buying the vehicle, but I told him we wouldn’t accept anything but cash and to come tomorrow, when Eric would probably have the original Lien Release letter in his hand.  It made sense to this guy, so he said Eric should call the RV guy when he got the UPS delivery.

So, now, he’s supposed to come tomorrow.  We’ll see.  This is getting crazier by the day.  At least we should have the letter tomorrow or Tuesday.  She sent it UPS and I have the tracking number.   If this guy doesn't come, I will be ready to contact all the other interested parties.  I had told them all that we weren't willing to sell until we had the Lien Release letter, so if he doesn't come tomorrow I'll be emailing all of them tomorrow night.

I made us a delicious dinner of things I bought today at KEIL’S.  First, I sauteed mushrooms, minced garlic and fresh chopped cilantro, and then I added scallops.  When they were almost fully cooked, I put it all in the toaster oven with some bread crumbs on top (Eric LOVES bread crumbs!).  We had it with a salad.  It came out really good.  I squeezed a lot of lemon on the scallops, and the lemon really added a lot.  I LOVE lemon!

There’s absolutely nothing on TV, except the MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS, which I like to record, so I can fast forward through anything boring and just watch the music acts I like.  We watched an hour of it, and I did enjoy seeing some of the acts, but Eric and I can't believe how many music acts we've never even heard of.  We felt very out of it.

I’m nervous about tomorrow.  Will the UPS guy show up with the Lien Release?  Will the RV guy show up with the cash?  We’ll just have to wait and see.  I’ll tell you what, with Eric packing (his stuff is being picked up Wednesday to ship to NY), waiting for the UPS delivery, and wondering if this guy is going to flake AGAIN, it’ll be a miracle if either of us gets any sleep tonight.  We’re both so stressed right now.  Unbelievably stressed.

We had a nice, quiet weekend.  We didn’t do much, but we were kind of hanging around waiting for RV guy and didn’t want to make any big plans.  Now, the weekend is over and we only have one more weekend left before Eric goes back to NY next Tuesday, September 16th.

I really want to make the best of our last week together.  I want to make it memorable, and fun.  I keep trying to make sure he knows how much I love him.  I keep telling him everything’s going to be okay, and that we will be fine, but I think both of us have to believe it to really make it happen.  Deep down he knows all this, but he’s just having such a hard time seeing anything in a positive light.  This depression really has him down.

It’s going to take all his strength to fight this thing.  I just hope he can do it, because I can only help so much – especially once he’s on the East Coast.  His sisters will support in him in any way they can, I know that.  He has a lot of friends and family who love him.  But, ultimately, this is something Eric has to do for himself.  He has to fight, and he has to win this battle.

Did you ever have one of those days?  I dragged myself out of bed this morning.  I didn’t sleep well, even though I took one of my over-the-counter sleeping pills.  Eric doesn’t even bother taking them, because he says they don’t help.  He doesn’t sleep much at all.

I had a pretty uneventful morning at work.  I checked the UPS tracking number for the letter and saw that it was delivered at 8:50am and signed for by “Eric.”  I couldn’t believe how fast the information was available online.  It wasn’t even 10:00am!   I called Eric.  He sounded terrible.  He said he called the RV guy and told him to be here at 5:30pm.  He wanted me to be here, so I could take care of all the signing and copying.  He just didn’t feel up to handling it all himself.

I asked him for the guy’s number, because I wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to flake out again.  I called him and he answered.  I spoke from the heart.  I told him that Eric wasn’t well and that was part of the reason why we were selling the RV.  I didn’t go into any detail, but I told him that I needed confirmation from him that he was really coming tonight, with cash, and would be there at 5:30pm.  He assured me that he would.  He was very sweet and said he felt bad and didn’t realize we were having troubles.

I told him it would be fine, as long as he was there at 5:30pm with the cash and ready to take the RV.  I explained about the Bill of Sale, the Lien Release and the Title and told him we’d each get signed copies.  He said that was great.

I felt a little better, because the letter had arrived, but I was still very worried about this guy.  I just couldn’t believe after all this time that he was finally going to show.  The truth is, he DID show up the first time he said he’d come – when he came to look at the vehicle, and Eric said he seemed like a nice guy, but I was still worried.

I worked really hard in HR all afternoon.  I had 83 resumes to print and process.  I only got through about 30.  It’s just a very slow process and I can’t get ahead, because they keep coming in and I’m only there 4 hours a day.

I asked Elsa to leave a few minutes early, so I could get home in time to get all the papers together.  I am happy to report that my paycheck was in the mail today, and Eric got his check from the union the other day, so whatever the problem was with our mail last week, it looks like it’s okay – at least this week!

I got everything in order and was going through my mail when Eric’s phone rang.  I figured it was RV guy, letting us know he was outside.  Unfortunately, it was some other guy, calling for RV guy.  He spoke to Eric for a few minutes, and Eric seemed confused and was making faces, like the guy was saying something weird.  I said, “Give me the phone.”  He was happy to hand it to me.  I said hello and asked who it was.

He proceeded to introduce himself and tell me that he was the guy who was really buying the RV.  RV guy was buying it from us and, I guess, selling it to this guy.  He said that RV guy asked him to deal with us directly.  He started giving me some story about how he wanted the RV, but he couldn’t come until Wednesday – and he’d be bringing a cashier’s check.

I told him quickly, and in no uncertain terms, that the deal was off.  I said we were selling to RV guy – not to him – and that RV guy had strung us along and flaked out too many times.  The deal was off!  I told him that there was someone in our apartment complex who was interested in the RV and that we were going to sell it to him.

I told him I was very sorry and hung up very quickly.  A few minutes later the phone rang.  It was RV guy.  I said, “Listen.  I spoke to you today.  You promised me that you’d be here with the cash at 5:30pm.  I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but we’re no longer interested in selling to you.  You delayed this day after day after day and we’re selling to someone else."  Again, I said I was very sorry, and hung up quickly.

He called back.  I told him that we were not interested in talking to him and not to call anymore.  I didn’t yell.  I was polite, but firm.

He called back.  He begged me to listen.  He told me he was leaving right now and was bringing the cash.  Is this man crazy?  Why do we get the loonies?  I’m asking you!  I just said, “Sorry,” and hung up.

After that, when he called back, I just opened the phone and closed it again, so he couldn’t even get Eric’s voicemail.  He finally stopped.

A few minutes later the phone rang.  It was RV guy’s son, who had come down to see the RV with his father.  Eric answered and said we couldn’t talk to them anymore and hung up.

A few minutes later the phone rang.  We didn’t know the number so I answered.  It was a guy who said he was interested in the RV.  Coincidentally, he called 5 minutes after this whole thing happened – a week after the ad closed (it was only up for 7 days).  He claimed he emailed me last week, but never heard back.  I asked him his name.  I saved every single email I got in reference to the RV ad on CRAIGS LIST and he never emailed me.  I had a feeling it was a friend of RV guy, calling to see what I’d say about the RV, because I told RV guy that we had another buyer.

I told him the RV was no longer available.  I apologized and hung up.  A few minutes later Lee called again.  Now, I knew I was right.  That was no buyer – it was just a friend of RV guy. 

I’m a little nervous, because this guy knows where we live, but he doesn’t know which apartment we live in and our name isn’t on the mailbox or anything.  Also, his son lives 2 hours away in Ontario, California, and he actually lives in Seattle (at least that's what he told Eric!).  I guess we’ll never know what he was up to, and what he was trying to pull, but it was just our bad luck that the first guy who called was an idiot. 

I immediately emailed 5 other people who had responded to our ad.  I just have to pray that one of them wants the RV and we can sell it before the 16th, when Eric leaves.  As long as they see it and talk to Eric, I can handle the sale (it’s actually in my name).  I just wouldn’t be able to show it, because I don’t know much about it at all.  That’s Eric’s department.

Anyway, as you can imagine, we were both pretty upset by this whole incident.  I tried to make Eric feel better, but it wasn’t easy.  I told him my friend had his sister’s funeral today and that I’d rather be dealing with RV crap than burying a relative.  He knows it’s true, and I could see it sink in that this really wasn’t that bad.

I told him I’d take the RV, drive down to Mission Bay and push the thing into the bay before I’d let it upset me.  I told him that he’s all that matters, and that I’d lose everything in a fire, or theft, or hurricane, or tornado, and it wouldn’t matter – as long as I had him.

I think that made him feel better.  To make ME feel better, he made me my favorite comfort food – grilled cheese.  He makes really good grilled cheese and it was delicious!  He makes it very buttery (although we use the “fake” butter that’s supposed to actually be good for you!)

We watched junk TV – Deal or No Deal, Two ½ Men, Family Guy, etc.  PRISON BREAK is on, but I haven’t watched the first 2-hour episode yet, and Eric’s not interested in that show (I love it, but he doesn’t like it!). 

So, we’re back to square one with the RV.  The only good news is that we have the proper documentation for the Lien Release, so there should be no problem with that – although our lives seem to be revolving around “Murphy’s Law” these days.  Anything that can possibly go wrong will go wrong.

Eric’s been fine all night.  He’s always better at night when I’m here with him.  He says over and over that I’m the only thing that keeps him going.  The days here are very hard for him, because he’s pretty much stuck in the apartment and he’s all by himself. 

I told him that worries me, because what’s going to happen when I’m here and he’s in NY?  I told him I’ll still be here for him, but that HE has to keep him going.  I told him that we can talk on the phone, but he has to be able to get out of bed and do things when I’m not around.  It’s really hard for him.  He has to push himself to do anything during the day.  When I’m home he just perks up.

I am hoping that his sister will be able to motivate him.  She said he’s going to have to look for work, and she has a list of things that need to be done around the house.  I told her she has to keep him busy with work and errands, because he actually likes to keep busy, and that she should get him to do things for her, because she can use the help.

The shipping company is picking up Eric’s things on Wednesday and then he’ll be hanging around with nothing much until next Tuesday, when he flies to NY.  I know this last week is going to be very hard on him, because he’s really not going to have anything to do.  He packed his last bicycle today, so he can’t even ride (not that he does that much anyway these days).

This is definitely the hardest thing we’ve ever been through.  I’m trying to stay optimistic, positive, and keep the faith, but it’s so hard.  I feel like I have to do it for the both of us.  It’s a big job, but I still think I’m up for it!

The first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning was that I never finished the blog last night!  I had worked on it for almost 2 hours and stopped to have gelato and watch SNL with Eric.  Unfortunately, we both fell asleep!  So, I finished it this morning.

I never uploaded the pictures from the concert (and they didn’t come out very good, so you weren’t missing much), but here are a few:

We didn’t do anything exciting today.  We watched TV, relaxed and did stuff around the apartment (Eric’s getting all his stuff together), we did a few loads of laundry, and then we went out for a ride in the RV.  Eric wanted to make sure everything was okay.  We only drove it for a half hour, and I know Eric hates that thing with a passion, but it brought back good memories for me.  I really loved traveling in it, and I thought it would be something we’d do forever.  Unfortunately, he hates to fly, and now he hates RVs, so it looks like our traveling days are over.

When we got back to the apartment we parked the RV on the street – across from the apartment – so that the FOR SALE sign is visible on the street.  It should be okay there for a week or two and I hope to sell it before too long.  We figured it would sell easier if someone saw the sign, and it would be easier to show it, if I didn’t have to bring them on the property.

In the late afternoon we went to the STUDIO DINER for a late lunch/early dinner.  We both had a cup of home-made Jewish penicillin – Chicken Soup.  I figured there wouldn’t be much chicken in there, just vegetables and noodles, but there was TONS, so I was constantly spooning the chicken pieces into Eric’s cup.  It was really good and obviously not from a can.  I used to love making chicken soup – back when I ate chicken – and it tasted a lot like mine.

I used to use a Ronzoni noodle called Tubettini #42.  It wasn’t too small, but it wasn’t too big, and it really made the soup into a meal.  I’d make a giant pot and then we’d eat it for weeks!  I’d freeze it in quart containers and just take it out and heat it up whenever we wanted some.  I made some darn good chicken soup!

After the soup, Eric had Boob Sandwich, which is Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, and Avocado (don’t ask me why it’s called Boob!).  I had the crab sandwich, which is a favorite of mine there.  We both had chocolate egg creams.

We were going to drive down by the bay and sit on the grass for a while, but I really had to go to the bathroom (TMI?  Sorry!), so we headed back to the apartment and then we both decided we’d rather just relax at home.

I ended up falling asleep (so what else is new?) and Eric watched TV.  He woke me and then we cleaned Conrad’s cage.  It’s a weekly ritual, which I’ll now be doing by myself from now on.  First we put his cage on the table in the dining area.  Then, we take the snack table he’s on and shake out the fabric tablecloth outside (it’s got seeds on it).  Then, we vacuum the entire area, because seed falls on the floor, along with his little down feathers that he is constantly removing while grooming.  It’s funny, because my other birds used to go through a week where they’d moult like crazy, but he just seems to lose his “baby” feathers and I don’t notice any tail feathers or bigger feathers.

Anyway, Eric holds him and I take apart the entire cage, washing every piece and then putting it all back together again.  Then we put him back inside and put him back on his table next to my bed.  It looks so nice when it’s all fresh and clean, but it doesn’t take long for him to mess it up.  Birds ARE messy, there’s no doubt about it.  Their seed flies everywhere, and their feathers float everywhere.

After we put Conrad back, I asked Eric to help me move the furniture around a little in the living room.  Since his black massage chair is gone, I could move the couch over a lot and then move my desk over, because I noticed that if people walk by they can see the computer and me a little under the bottom of the vertical blinds.  We moved it about 2 feet to the left, and it looks the same, but now it’s more private.

I want to get rid of the TV stand we bought at the Salvation Army for the TV, because Eric shipped back the TV and the DVD/VHS player, so I don’t need it anymore and I’m definitely not bringing it back to NY, because it would cost more to ship than it’s worth!

I’m actually going to offer it to our friend, Bob, because he might be able to use it in his den/TV room.  It may be too small to hold the flat screen TV he wants to get, but maybe not! 

There’s such a sadness in the air.  I know you can imagine how it feels to say goodbye to someone you love and know you won’t see them for a while.  It’s not so bad if you know they’ll be okay, but when you’re worried about them already, and you’ll be so far apart, it’s very stressful.  Eric and I talked today about how stressed out and anxious we both are.  Eric said he sometimes thinks the anxiety is worse than the depression.  I know when I sell the RV it will be a big load off his mind, because that’s something that really worries him.

Also, as time goes on and he sees I’m okay here by myself, and he gets adjusted to life in NY, I’m hoping his anxiety will be reduced.  I know I’ll be super-anxious until I know he’s okay there and settling in.  Once his stuff arrives, and everything’s okay, I’m hoping he will be able to relax a little.

Tomorrow we’re going to stay busy – running a lot of errands and maybe taking a drive somewhere, too.  It’s our last day together and it seems unreal.

I do have some good news!  I found out that the young couple who bought our house just had their third daughter!  She wrote me from the hospital!  She said they love the house so much and it’s the perfect place to raise their children.  Their oldest is starting kindergarten and the school is very close by.  She said they don’t have to worry about the kids running into the street, because there is so little traffic there, so they can play more freely.  They’re just so happy and it makes me happy that someone else is enjoying our little house now!

Today is my sister Audrey’s birthday, so I want to start this blog by saying, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" and wishing that all her dreams come true this year!

I had a wonderful day.  Everything seemed to go perfectly and you know how often that happens!

I woke up and relaxed around the apartment, spoke to Eric, had breakfast and then got dressed and went to the post office to get stamps.  I stopped at the new drive-through STARBUCKS on Balboa and Clairemont Drive on the way home and then came back to the apartment.

My potential buyer was supposed to arrive with his mom at around 1:00pm.  They got here a little earlier and I met them across the street by the RV.  They were both very sweet, nice, friendly, and enthusiastic about the Chinook.  I showed them the inside and every feature I could think of.  Then, I called Eric, so he could talk to the guy about a few little problems we had and talk to him about the condition, etc.

Then, we drove a few miles to Pacific Beach to bring it to a FORD dealership to be inspected.  I drove the PT Crusier and they followed me in the RV.  We left the RV there and got in the PT and I drove them to the Italian Restaurant on Garnet that Eric and I have been to a couple of times.  The guy said he wanted to treat me to lunch, so I figured pizza would be fine – not too expensive, but really good!

We had a ½ pepperoni and ½ mushroom and it was SO delicious.  We had great conversation and talked about a lot of things.  They lived in White Plains for a long time before moving to California.  So, we talked about New York (the World’s Fair) and the difference between California and New York.

I explained to them about Eric’s situation and that he wasn’t coming back.  I told them that was why there was a sense of urgency about selling the RV, because Eric wanted to sell it before he left.  Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that, but it is working out okay, because this guy is very serious about it and I just hope the paperwork is all in order now and there is not too much red tape to deal with.  You know anything that can possibly go wrong will go wrong, and I’m ready for it.

When we finished lunch we went back to the FORD dealership and it was perfect timing, because they just finished inspecting the RV.  There was nothing found that we didn’t already tell him about, so he was pleased.  He drove the RV back and parked it on the street.  They wanted to take pictures of me standing by the RV – especially by the “Peppy G” license plate.  Then, I took pictures of them, and the guy took pictures of me and his mom.  It was so sweet!

Then, they got in my car and and I put it into the lot.  Then, they came up to the apartment.  His mom wanted to see examples of my crafts and I told her I had a lot of stuff in the apartment.  She also wanted to use my bathroom.

When they saw the shelves I have with all the Betty Boop he said, “I have to go get my camera!”  They loved the apartment and said I had it set up so nicely.  It was so nice to spend the afternoon with them.  They were both really lovely and I’m REALLY hoping that he gets the RV, because I would be happy to know that they’re going to enjoy it.

When they left, I jumped in the shower, got dressed and my girlfriend picked me up outside.  She drove downtown and we parked in the HORTON PLAZA PARKING GARAGE, which is right near the theatre.  We walked ½ block and found HENNESSEY’S, which is a great pub/restaurant that my friends, Marianne and Allan, had told me about.  We had a delicious dinner.  My girlfriend had a turkey burger and fries and I had the salmon special with penne and veggies.  I had SO much left over and the girl asked me if I wanted it boxed.  I said I’d love to, but we’re going to the theatre, and she said she’d hold it and to come back after the show – which we did!

Now, to the best part of the night.  The show was FANTASTIC.  I really cannot believe the amount of talent on one stage.  Every single cast member was amazing.  The girl who played Effie was so unbelievably talented.  She didn’t miss one note.  She had people in the audience screaming after her big number – I’M NOT GOING.  It was as good as on Broadway – and the movie, too.  I was so impressed.  I know it would be good, because GUYS & DOLLS and BYE BYE BIRDIE were also excellent productions, but this was just over the top great!

My girlfriend had never seen the show or the movie, so it was all new to her and she really loved it.  She was so happy she came with me, and I was so happy she was able to come.  She’s great company – never a dull moment, and we had great conversations all night long.  I am looking forward to other nights out with her!

After the show we walked back to the car (after picking up my leftovers) and then she drove me home.  I got in a little before midnight.  It was a wonderful day and a fabulous night.  Just what the doctor ordered!

I was really exhausted last night, so I shut off the TV at 11:00pm and fell right to sleep.  I woke up and it was dark.  I had no idea what time it was.  I decided to go to the bathroom, and when I returned, I saw it was 2:15am.  What’s up with that?   I woke up after 3 hours of sleep?  I tossed and turned the rest of the night and when I DID fall back to sleep, intermittently, I had the WEIRDEST dreams!

The good news is, I got to sleep an hour later than usual, so I got up at 7:00am, because I had to be ready for the RV inspector.  He was supposed to come between 8:00am and 1:00pm.  Don’t you hate when you have to wait for the repairman, or the delivery man, or the cable guy, and they give you that 4 or 5 hour window and you just have to wait?

I was dressed and ready at 8:00am.  I spoke to Eric, deposited my check in the bank across the street, paid some bills, wrote some emails, cleaned the apartment, and he finally came at a little before noon.  It was depressing, because I could have slept until 10:00am, but of course things never work out that way!

I told him I had to get to work and showed him where he could drop the RV keys in the building manager’s mailbox when he was done and I was off!  I got to work a little after noon and went immediately to HR.  I spoke to the woman upstairs this morning and she said it was okay that I didn’t spend anytime up there today.  That was a relief!

Bob had given me two slices of pizza last night that was leftover, and I brought in a piece for lunch today.  I worked until 1:30pm printing emails and then I heated the pizza up in the microwave for 45 seconds and had lunch.  It was a veggie pizza and it was just as good as last night!

I worked really hard all afternoon, processing resumes, and setting up appointments for interviews with candidates.  I realized since I had my own car I could stay late, so I asked if I could do some overtime, because I had so much work to do, and this way I could make up a few hours I lost this morning.

Elsa said it was fine, so I worked until 7:00pm.  I got home at 7:15pm and made some vegetable soup.  I used a can of organic black beans, some leftover salsa, a box of organic vegetable broth, a lot of celery, some cilantro and some kind of flat string bean (I don’t know what they’re called!).  It came out really good!

I got a few emails from my niece, Melissa.  She's doing better, although she's still in a lot of pain.  They'll be sending her home in a few days, but she has a long road of recuperation ahead of her.  She'll probably be out of work for at least a month.  I wish her a super-speedy recovery!

I watched DANCING WITH THE STARS tonight.  I was happy to see Jeffrey Ross go home.  He’s funny, but not a good dancer!  So far, my favorites are Rocco DiSpirito (he's SO cute) and Brooke Burke (she's a really good dancer!).  I was SORELY disappointed in Lance Bass, because I know he can REALLY dance (I loved him in NSYNC).  He looked awkward and like a real beginner!

I’m so nervous about this RV sale.  The inspector told me the report would be online within 24 hours, so I’ll be able to see it tomorrow afternoon.  I’m pretty sure there won’t be any problem with that, but I still worry about the fact that the RV is not registered in California, and that we have a Lien on the title (although I DO have the proper Lien Release letter).  I just know that anything that CAN go wrong WILL go wrong, so I’m expecting problems, and I know I won’t be disappointed!

As for work, no one has said anything about when I’m starting full time in HR, but I’ve been getting lots of training and I’m really looking forward to the day when I only have one computer, one desk, one phone extension, and one floor to go to every day.  It’s going to be a lot less stressful, and I could use less stress right about now!

It seems like selling the RV is the longest, most tedious process ever.  I think it was easier to sell our house than it was to sell this RV!  There are so many steps to see this thing through, it’s amazing!  Lien releases, VIN numbers, titles, escrow, etc., etc., etc.  What a headache.  I cannot WAIT for this thing to drive off into the sunset.

I’m kind of glad that Eric’s in NY and I’m dealing with this on my own, because I think this would have driven him crazy.  At least I’m handling it, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that something doesn’t go wrong.  You know it ALWAYS does!

I had a pretty uneventful day at work.  It’s just so busy that I don’t have a moment, but – hey – I guess I had all the time I could ever want in the first 5 months I was working there.  Now, they’ve really got me working hard!  I hardly have time to go to the Ladies' Room!

When I got down to HR, we had carrot cake to celebrate one of the girls’ birthdays, so that was fun.  They usually give some kind of gift card as a present.  They have a document on a shared drive that lists all the girls’ likes and dislikes, so when it’s birthday time they know what to get.  I thought that was SO great!  They asked me to fill it out and I did.

The birthday girl today is originally from Boston and she has the CUTEST accent.    People comment on mine all the time, but hers is really adorable!  She just came back from vacation in Boston and New York and was telling me how much she loved NYC. 

I’m happy to report that Eric is starting to look at apartments in Queens.  Since he’s working, he feels he can get one sooner and I’m happy, because I really want him to have an apartment by the time I get there in November.  That way, I'll have a place to stay and I can help him set it up a little.  You know, add that "Peppy Touch!"

So, my session tonight was great, as always.  We talked about the RV and Eric so much and she said she wants to focus on me.  She says once I’ve gotten the RV sold I can focus on myself a lot more.  I’m so caught up in work, Eric, and selling the RV that I’m neglecting myself.  I know it.  I’m still overeating and not exercising.  I just feel it’s all too much sometimes, and I just can’t deal.

Everyone has great ideas for me, to get me motivated to diet ad exercise, but it’s something I have to do on my own.  I guess when I’m ready, I’ll know.  I’m just not ready to get my act together yet!

I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.  After work, I’m going to see MAMA MIA with Elsa and Rosemary, who went with me to see DREAMGIRLS.  We invited all the HR girls, but it looks like it’s just the three of us!  I really need a night out.  I’ve been dying to see MAMA MIA since the movie came out (I saw the Broadway show two times).  It’s such fun music and it will just be a fun night with friends.

On Saturday, the buyer’s supposed to fly down and pick up the RV.  He's got it insured and just needs to get the emissions test and have the VIN # verified.  I just hope all the ducks are in a row, because I’d hate for him to fly down for nothing, and have to wait another week.

Saturday afternoon Bob’s having his first office get-together at the new house.  He’s just barely moved in, but everyone’s dying to see his place.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it, because I’ll be with RV guy all afternoon, but – hey – I’ve already seen it!

I ended up going to sleep at 9:40pm last night.  I finished watching UGLY BETTY, and my eyes were closing, so I shut off the TV.   Unfortunately, I woke up around 3:30am and couldn’t fall back to sleep for a while.  I finally did doze off again, and I woke up again when the alarm went off.

I had time to go to STARBUCKS (I’m really getting into a bad habit, but it will end as soon as Elsa gets back!) and talked to Eric for a long time while I was driving (bad girl!).

I have not been this happy to see Friday in a LONG time.  It was a long week, but that’s not why.  It’s because the buyer is coming tonight to sleep in the RV and tomorrow it GOES!  With any luck all will go well at the various inspections and we’ll be a lot richer by Tuesday!

I had a great day at work.  It was quiet again and I got a lot more done in the organizing department.  I helped the girl who recently got engaged with a big project of rearranging all the forms for employees – medical, dental, life insurance, etc., etc., etc.  We got an entire wall of shelves looking beautiful and everything is easy to find.  We had a lot of fun doing it, too.  She’s so sweet and beautiful and a lot of fun to work with.

I went to Bob’s house at lunch time to see the window treatments.  He picked me up in HR at 11:30am and we drove to RUBIOS to get fish tacos and take them back to his house.  I inspected all the window treatments.  Everything looked fabulous – better than expected in some cases – except the master bedroom, which is what he was unhappy about.

The window treatment over the oversized sliding doors to the backyard was a total disaster.  The fabric was gorgeous, but instead of being drapes, it was just a flat panel of fabric that covered the door.  When you wanted to open the door, there was a rod you used to pull the fabric to the right.  Unfortunately, it was awkward and didn’t work very well and then, when you had it pulled over, part of it was draped in pleats and part of it was still flat.  It just looked weird.

We were both under the assumption that it was going to look like drapes – pleated and full – when it was closed and then even more full when opened on one side.  It looked horrible.

We ate our fish tacos, then got back in the car to go back to work.  When I got upstairs to my desk I sent him an email with all the complaints and how I thought it could be fixed, and noted a few other things that needed to be done.  He said he’d use it as a script when he called the window treatment girl tonight.  I’m sure she’ll be able to resolve the issues and make us all happy!

Bob is having a party on Sunday afternoon.  He invited some friends from his old condo, and some co-workers.  I will probably go, at least for a few hours, just because I think it will be fun to see people outside of the office.  I just feel weird, because most of them don’t know Eric is away (after almost 6 weeks), because I don’t see or talk to them on a daily basis.  So, it will be hard to deal with when they all ask where my husband is.  I can just say he couldn’t make it, but I guess I’ll probably say he’s in NY and leave it at that.

This afternoon the same girl I helped with the organizing asked if I wanted to go from bathroom to bathroom on all the floors so that we could replace posters they put on the back of the bathroom doors.  The posters are from some healthcare company offering help for depression, anxiety, etc.  The ones that were up were out-of-date, and she found newer ones while we were organizing.  We wanted to put them up in the men’s rooms, too, but we were too afraid, so we just did the six ladies’ rooms on all the floors.

When I got out of work I called Eric and told him I was heading to COSTCO and that I’d call him when I got home.  My gas light had come on in the PT Cruiser and I figured I’d go get cheap gas and then pick up a few items in the store.  I filled up (almost 13 gallons) and it only cost $37, because gas was $2.89!!!!  I thought that was SO cheap!

I bought some sushi (Eric and I have tried it before and it’s delicious).  They have these crab rolls and spicy tuna rolls.  VERY yummy.  I also bought two containers of organic tomato bisque and some fresh strawberries.  I’m thinking of making chocolate covered strawberries to bring to Bob’s.  I haven’t done the whole chocolate dipping thing in a long time and I always enjoyed it.  Besides, it gets a GREAT reaction!  People LOVE chocolate covered strawberries!

Unfortunately, COSTCO didn’t have milk or dark chocolate chips.  They only had bittersweet and semi-sweet.  They also didn’t have wax paper, which is key to making the strawberries, so I still have to go to KEIL’S for the chocolate and the waxpaper.

When I got home I talked to Eric.  Then, I had some sushi for dinner and watched BOSTON LEGAL, which I had recorded the other night.  Then, I took a nap.  I knew I was going to be up super-late because the buyer wouldn’t get here until after 11:30pm.  If I didn’t have a nap I’d be exhausted.

I slept from 7:30pm – 9:30pm.  I could have slept more, but I figured if I did I’d never go back to sleep later.  I got up, had a bowl of tomato bisque (OMG!  That is such good stuff!) and then worked on the computer a little.  Then, I watched GHOST WHISPERER and then it was 11:00pm.

I got dressed and waited for the call that my buyer had arrived.  I had prepared a flat sheet and a pillow with a pillow case, figuring he’d need it to sleep comfortably in the RV.  I was assuming he didn’t bring any of that with him, but I should have known he’d be prepared.  He’s a military man!  He brought a sleeping bag, but I told him that might be too warm and left him with the sheet and pillow, for which he was very grateful.

I also brought him a box of tissues – the small square kind – and showed him how it fits perfectly in a clear plastic dispenser over the couch.  It comes in very handy – especially if you’re allergic like me!

He came bearing gifts for me and Eric.  He bought Eric a “hydration waistpack” that holds two shatterproof sports bottles and has a zipper compartment for your wallet, keys, etc.  It’s definitely something Eric would love, if he ever goes mountain biking again.  I don't ask many questions, but as far as I know he has only ridden his bicycle about 3 times since he got there almost 6 weeks ago, and only once was in the woods.  I don't know why, because that was one of the main reasons why he went back to NY, but he's just too depressed, I guess.

Anyway, my gift was Betty Boop floor mats for the PT Cruiser!  I thought that was SO generous and sweet.  He said he and his mom went online and shopped for something Betty that was practical and useful.  I have ALWAYS wanted the floor mats, but felt bad putting my feet on her face, so I never invested.  I think they’ll jazz up the PT and they’re SO adorable!!!!  He is such a nice man and I am so lucky to have found someone so kind – and honest – which which to go through this nightmarish transaction!

By midnight I was back in the apartment.  He asked if I wanted to go out to breakfast tomorrow and I told him that would be great.  He asked if there’s a place close by and I know there’s a DENNY’S about 2 miles from here, so I mentioned that and he said that would be fine.  His first stop is at 10:00am at AAA so he can get the emissions tested.  Then, he’s off to get the interior of the RV tested.

I was relieved to find the coach battery was still working – after not being used for so many months – because I turned on the lights and showed him where all the switches were.  I thought I would show him more, but I could see he was exhausted and had a long, long day.  He had flown from San Francisco after working all day and he said he just made it to the airport right before the plane took off, so it must have been stressful.

I know he’ll get a good night’s sleep.  It’s a pretty quiet neighborhood, even parked on Clairemont Drive, and that couch is as comfy as they come!  I’ll probably be up for hours, since I had that nap, and I’ll probably be EXHAUSTED in the morning, but – hey – I can always go back to sleep when I get back from breakfast and running a few errands!!!!

I hate to say it before it happens, because I don’t want to jinx myself, but the buyer DID drive away in the RV today and it’s now 8:16pm and he hasn’t come back yet!

After I left the buyer in the RV to sleep for the night, I came back upstairs and watched TV for a few hours.  I just wasn’t tired.  I finally turned off the TV around 2:00am and slept until 8:00am.  He called and I jumped in the shower and then he came up and took a shower, too.  He said he didn’t want to inconvenience me, but I really felt bad not letting him use the bathroom!  He also told me he couldn’t fall asleep for a few hours, because every time a car passed the RV rocked a little.

I forgot about that.  It’s pretty heavy, but the speed of a passing car causes some wind and it actually rocks the RV.  We never dealt with that at night, because we were always parked in campgrounds, but during the day if we were pulled over and I was napping, I could feel it.

Otherwise, he was very comfortable.  He went online and pushed a button at the escrow website saying he had “received the vehicle” and then we went to DENNY’S for breakfast.  He had the Grand Slam and I had the Moon Over My Hammy without the Ham.  We called it the Moon Over No Hammy.

After breakfast we drove back to the apartment, he picked up his laptop and a few other things and we parted ways.  He told me he would call me later to let me know what was happening and how it all went.

I decided to relax for a while and figured I’d take a nap, but I never did.  I watched an episode of HEROES and worked on the computer.  Then, I went food shopping, picking up the wax paper and chocolate chips to make the chocolate-dipped strawberries. 

Unfortunately, the woman for whom I made the hand mirror emailed me about meeting tomorrow and I don’t want to disappoint her, so I’m not making the strawberries tonight.  She told me she’d let me know for sure in the morning, so if I do meet her I may not go to the party (or I’ll go very late).  If I don’t meet her I can make the chocolate-covered strawberries in the morning before I go.

Before I bejeweled this hand mirror, it was pretty, but nothing special.  It also showed a lot of wear and tear.

Marlene wanted to replace a broken hand mirror and asked for purples and golds.  I think this is now fit for royalty!

After food shopping I went through the drive-through STARBUCKS and then went to the shopping center for a pedicure with Tina.  Then, I went into TJ Maxx looking for clothes and ended up buying two pairs of the cutest suede pointed-toe sling-backs from BCBG Girls.  They are SO comfortable and perfect for fall!

I finally heard from the buyer.  All went well with the emissions test (I really wasn’t worried, because I knew the engine was in great shape), but he was not able to get the VIN # verified, which is something you have to do before the sale can go through.  No one told him that a regular garage can’t verify an out-of-state vehicle.  So, now he has to stay by his mother’s house (about 5 hours north of here) an extra day and go to DMV there on Monday, because apparently they CAN verify an out-of-state VIN #.

So, I probably won’t get paid on Monday, but maybe Tuesday.  It’s never ending, isn’t it?  Every time you think nothing else can go wrong, something else does.  I’m not really worried, because I know he’ll take care of it (he’s very responsible), but it’s just a pain.  Also, he has my plates (because he couldn’t drive it without them, and he can’t get them until he has all the paperwork completed), so he’ll be sending them directly to NYS DMV for me, so I can then cancel the insurance.  He already has it insured (as of 12:01am this morning), but he still needed plates to drive.

When I was finished shopping and talking with him, I drove to Hillcrest for my cut and color with John.  I told him I want to cut my hair short, but I have to wait until I lose weight.  Every 4 weeks when I go, he says, “Is today the day?” and I keep telling him no, because I haven’t lost the weight yet.  I doubt if I ever will.

When I got home I watched another episode of HEROES (I’m now all caught up) and had more sushi.  Yum!  I spoke to Eric a few times today and he sounded good.  We really miss each other more than words can say.

After relaxing for a while I did two loads of laundry.  I got to see the building manager’s new baby – she’s now about 2 weeks old.  She’s SO cute and little and sweet.  I love babies!

I don’t know if I mentioned this before but in my MARTHA STEWART LIVING magazine they had a skeleton and an owl you could cut out for Halloween decorations.  I made a bunch of color copies and have been cutting them out for the past week.  I want to make an owl and a skeleton for each girl in HR, so they have decorations on their desks.  The wings on the owl and the arms and legs on the skeleton are separate and you put them together with brads (little metal clips), so that they can move up and down.  They look really good.  The skeleton is about 10” long and the owl is about 5” long.  It’s a lot of cutting, but I’m used to that!

So, tomorrow is totally up in the air.  I’ll either be driving north about an hour to meet this lovely woman for whom I am making all the new pieces (decoupage and jewelry mosaics).  She wants me to do another mirror and will be bringing me the mirror and all her 80s big jewelry for me to use.  It will save her money on shipping, and save me money shipping the bejeweled hand mirror to her, and I also won’t have to worry about it breaking!

If I don’t meet her tomorrow, we’ll meet next weekend, and I can go to Bob’s party, even though I will feel a little awkward.  At least I’ll be very popular with the chocolate-covered strawberries!

I woke up late and wanted to get to work early, so there was no way I could stop at Starbucks before work.  I DID get to go to the coffee cart, so I was pretty happy.  A lot of the girls were in early, so they saw me decorating their offices and cubicles with the owls and skeletons, and they really loved them.  Almost everyone commented and thanked me and really appreciated it, except for one girl.

No one really likes her, and it’s kind of sad, because I think she’s really nice and is probably just shy.  Maybe she feels left out a lot, because no one really includes her in anything.  I make a point of saying hello to her, and asking her how she is, etc., but I kind of understand why they treat her the way they do, because she never even mentioned or asked about who put the skeleton and owl on her door!

Anyway, it did Boo-tify the HR department a little and Halloween was the topic of the day.  Out of the 10 girls I work with, only 3 or 4 are dressing up this year.  HR is ALWAYS famous for their group costumes, picking a theme and each girl dressing accordingly.  Last year they were all super heroes.

Anyway, Elsa’s on sabbatical, as is the other woman I work with.  One of the other girls will be away that weekend, so she won’t be in on Friday.  Three of the other girls decided they won’t dress up, so that leaves 5 of us.  I said I’d dress up, if I could figure out a costume.  I don’t have much, because I sold, gave away, or threw away most of my costumes when we left NY.  The few things I have left don’t fit and I’m not going to spend money on a costume when I’m not even invited to a party, so if I can’t throw something together, I’ll just be one of the party poopers.

Today was a pretty easy day.  I wore my new black suede BCBG sling-back pumps and I’m happy to report they are SO comfortable!  I wore other shoes to walk from the parking lot to the office, because you can ruin the soles by walking far on cement, but I wore them most of the day around the office and they were great!

I got an email early in the morning from the escrow company saying the transaction was complete and the money had been transferred to our account.  I was SO happy.  I kept going online to our account every 20 minutes or so, and it wasn’t there.  I wrote her and she said it could take up to 24 hours, but probably wouldn’t.  By lunchtime the money was there.  Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  I was SO happy.  It’s finally done.  He has the RV.  We have the money – and it only took three months!  I’m happy to report we’ve now got one less thing to worry about!

When I got out of work I went to MICHAEL’S.  I had a coupon for 40 percent off any one item, but I wandered around and couldn’t find anything I really needed, so I handed the coupon to a girl I saw shopping and just left.

Then, I went to KEIL’S to pick up a few things, including salmon for dinner.  I came home, spoke to Eric and then spoke to Andrew, who is helping me figure out what new laptop to purchase.  He has configured what I’ll need and I just need to order it.  It’s an HP laptop.  The thing is, tonight I saw this new commercial for the new, top-of-the-line HP “touch” computer, where you touch the screen – like the iphone.  Shouldn’t I have the newest, most up-to-date, top-of-the-line, high tech model they make?  Probably not.

I had my salmon and a salad (and made the same for lunch tomorrow) while I watched last night’s EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION.  I actually fell asleep REALLY early last night.  It wasn’t even 9:00pm and I was SO tired I turned off the TV and went to sleep.  Unfortunately, I awoke in the middle of the night and – as usual – just dozed and tossed and turned until the alarm went off. 

After EXTREME MAKEOVER, I watched DANCING WITH THE STARS.  Everybody’s getting injured.  First, Susan Lucci hurt her ankle.  Then, Brooke Burke hurt her foot.  Now, Julianne Hough has endometriosis and has to have her appendix taken out.  (I really don’t understand what one has to do with the other, but that’s what she said!)  What a season of injuries and illness!  Michael Flatley – the lord of the dance – was guest judge tonight.  He really has aged gracefully.  What a handsome, elegant guy!

I keep wanting to do some decoupage projects I’ve got to do for my new client, but I can’t get started!  Once I do, there’s no stopping me, but getting started is the hard part for me.

I’m going to close now.  I’m going to go watch BOSTON LEGAL.  That’s one of my favorite shows and tonight I heard it’s their last season.  I guess all good things must come to an end, but this show is SO entertaining, touching, and hits on all the big topics in the news.  I love David Kelley’s point of view, his cast is exceptional, and the writing is fantastic.  They don’t come much better than BOSTON LEGAL!