Moving and Orientation

I forgot how much moving sucks. We completely filled Meg's and I new apartment with boxes, and I've been trying to swim out.

Moving is a big ordeal for anyone; it's even bigger when U-Haul makes it harder. I got a call on last week from U-haul that they did not have any trucks in Duluth, but had one in Cloquet. Fine, I say...not a big deal, even though Cloquet is 1/2 hour away. I had to pick a truck up for Minneapolis in Mankato once, so not a surprise considering it is peak moving season. So I show up in Cloquet to find that the truck and tow-dolly are both damaged and unusable. Not only that, but the blankets I reserved were also not there for me, at no fault of the Cloquet U-haul guy. Apparently he put out some work orders on the truck and dolly, but the service tech never came, even though they knew I had reserved it. He calls HQ, peeved, and they tell him that there is a truck available in Grand Rapids or Hibbing, both 1 1/2 hour + away! I am starting to think I will be moving mid-week instead on Sunday. Meanwhile, people that I have arranged to move with in Duluth at 11:00, have been waiting for 30+ minutes with no Mike in sight. So I decide to check out a 14' truck in Duluth to see if it is big enough to put all of our stuff in, which is laughable because we completely filled a 10x20' storage unit. So back in Duluth, I ask the U-haul guys if they have a 24' truck available...and they did...a 27' truck. They were fixing it because apparently the battery was draining. But because I was doing a one-way move, I didn't see why it wouldn't work. So, they gave me the truck, and life was good. Special thanks for the Svoblog and the Knuth family for hauling stuff into the trailer! Matt P was also at the scene, but had to do pre-baby activities in the afternoon on Sunday; plus he waited for over 30 minutes for me to show up at 11:00.

Later, in the Twin Cities, my uncle Scott, Grandpa, my Mom and Dad, and Jason P, helped me unload the truck. My grandpa is a workhorse! He's 80+ yrs old, and has a prosthetic knee, but he was hauling all the heavy stuff with the rest of us! So after 3 hours of heavy lifting, we decided to call it a night.

So this morning, I show up for pharmacy orientation. I was pretty pleased with myself, because I was 45 minutes early...only to find out it starts tomorrow. So I was 24+ hrs early. Shows that you should read your emails VERY carefully. So looking like an idiot, I walked out of the pharmacy office with my tail between my legs. Oh well...at least I got my bus pass.