I have spent a small but measurable portion of my existence on this planet apologizing for not updating my blog. Begging for your forgiveness. And putting forth vacant promises that I will update more often (and with more vigour). I would blame it on covid, but lets not go there. This time I make no promises. But, I will secretly try to be better.
OK, lets see, the last time I posted we had just hiked Mt Nemo. What else has happened.....
At the end of August I quit my horribly oppressive soul-sucking job. I walked into my boss' office and said "I'm leaving", his response was "Where are you going?" Uncertain if he understood what I was saying I said, "Here is my two week's notice." It was a lie, it was only 9 days notice. My job offer came through two weeks before Labour Day weekend, and that would have left my 10th day on the following Tuesday. And aint nobody got time for that. My new boss gave me 3 weeks to decompress, and my start date was the end of September. And because I'm apparently awesome, my old company actually paid me until the end of September. I do believe in my heart of hearts she just didn't want to correct payroll which was processed a month at a time. I spent two weeks (read: 9 days) working harder than I ever had before. I didn't really get an opportunity to say good bye to anyone, aside from my favourite customer. And that was it, I was done. I said "You guys will be fine" and I left.
So backing up quickly, I moved almost my entire condo unit into storage in June. Just the furniture, the boxes of stuff I moved personally through about 5 or 6 trips to Cobourg where they were stored in my parents' basement. I have become to accustomed to living without "stuff" I might just leave it all here. Jk, but maybe....
There I was, with a desk I inherited from my brother and an accompanying stool. Working from home. Relaxing on my blowup mattress. And retiring to sleep on my bed, which I thankfully kept. Having a bed to sleep on helped me maintain my sanity. I kept saying to myself I just have a few more things I want to do and then we'll list it. I finally just called the agent and set the clock going on myself. Within maybe a month it was listed. But that in that time I had to deal with final packing & moving, painting, staging, and then throw in a busted winter tire that required 4 (count them four) trips to the tire shop. Trip 1 - take my winter tires to have them put on. Trip 2 - return and have a broken winter replaced. Trip 3 - take my car back to have a further punctured tired replaced (with an ill-fitted spare that was provided to me) and Trip 4, on the eve of my departure from Mississauga, to replace the busted tire. I recall sitting at a stop light and a guy pulls up in the left turn lane and signals to me. I roll the window down and he says "Your back tire is flat." Having dash alerts on low air I replied, "I know" and he said, "No, it is completely out of air." The night before my condo had been staged and I was left without a place to put my mattress and slept on the floor. The staging company told me at the last minute I couldn't sleep on the bed without my own sheets. Following that whole ordeal I drove to Cobourg and immediately checked into a hotel. I had to get tested for covid to move in with my parents and avoid my brother murdering me in my sleep. Have I mentioned I had a full blown cold at this point. I basically inhaled an entire flat of Gatorade Zero I had picked up from Costco on a whim, and blew and hacked my way through nearly a dozen tissue boxes. I zooted up north of Port Hope, had a lovely nurse gently swab my cheeks and then attempt to my extract my brains through my nose. Luckily in that order, and luckily it also wasn't that bad. More annoying than anything. I got my negative results, and spent the rest of the week residing at a hotel with zero contact (still at risk of Sororicide by my brother for the slight chance I could have dormant undetectable covid).
So like November 30 or so I moved in with my parents. The condo market in Mississauga decided to take a bit of a crap because of all the AirBnB condo owners selling for lack of income. I sold my place under asking on an already reduced price. Such is life right. I spent the last month of my life at the condo struggling with property mgmt to clean a giant rust stain in my storage locker caused by a corroded pipe in the unit behind mine. I was sent photos of a different unit and told I was lying and there was no rust. I sent back my own photos and said, "I'm not a scientist but that looks like rust to me." She said they would clean it. I went by the condo a few days before closing and they had not lifted a finger. I locked the locker and walked away. I thought I was finally free. Then in February they charged me maintenance fees. I wrote them very kindly and said, I told you twice when I was moving, please return the money you have stolen. I was told they would put the request in. Then I was told, accounting says we cannot return your money because the new owners haven't paid yet. At which point I became fairly unhinged. She told me to contact my lawyer and find out how to get the money back from the closing (that had happened two weeks previous). I said, I'm contacting my lawyer to find out how to get my money back from you. And magically, a cheque was going to be cut and sent immediately. I think my timing was just fortuitous but it's funny think that maybe it was intimidation. Back off, get your own sandwich.
I closed on Jan 25, or some day near there. It's all a blur. As soon as the money hit the bank I started looking for a place out here. In stark contrast to the market I sold in, the market I bought in was a flaming ball of fire. I saw about six houses. I bid on two of them. And I got the second one. I offered a flexible closing date (with an expiration) which slowly started to drive me mad. I couldn't make ANY arrangements for vendors not knowing what date it would be mine. Eventually the sellers settled on the latest possible close. End of May it will be all mine.
As for now. It's stay at home time. I have a cross stitch I'm working on as a gift to myself. I've finished a bunch of WIP knitting projects, but looking forward to possibly starting a new one. I'm working on my health. Sim hooked me up with Peloton and it's basically the best thing that's ever happened to me. I also workout with my mom doing some fairly low impact youtubes. I'm hooked on a 10 min abs video from a "Shred" challenge I did in February. I think my mom might just be tired me walking around in bike shorts asking her to feel my new muscles.
Looking forward to the summer. I signed up for a veggie box from a local farm. I can bike into town from my home and pick-up extras or take across the boardwalk or down the pier. Life is promising. If this plague would just give up already. Waiting for my vaccination date, my parents are getting it tomorrow.
Peace & Love.
