Crazy days

So wow... the move is imminent. In theory on Sunday, I will have my stuff in my new house. It may be absolute chaos, but I'll have stuff in the new house.

This is the front of my new house... we're renting the back half, but that means we'll be closer to the parking, for the occasions when I drive.






Our entrance looks like this:

I think this will be somewhere where we can be pretty happy for now. It is within walking distance of the Western campus, and it is near a bus stop.

It is also near some parks, which will help me get back into running and make Calvin a very happy dog. I think I've set my sights on an October 5k race, so watch this space, because I may be hitting up my friends and family for donations to a charity.


Today has already been a bit busy-- I had to take the dog to the vet so he could get his doggie passport. Okay, so it isn't a passport, but it is the document that shows that he is healthy enough to be allowed into Canada. He doesn't mind the vet. He likes the car ride, he likes getting to meet the people and other dogs in the office, but once they call us into the back, he realizes that STUFF HE DOESN'T LIKE happens there. The good news is that he's healthy as a horse... or at least a Calvin. On the way home from the vet, we stopped at Starbucks to go through the drive thru, because usually they give him treats, but this time she went above and beyond-- a kiddie sized cup with whipped cream and two dog bones in it... like a little doggie sundae. He loved it. I didn't have my camera with me but I'm not sure it would have been fast enough!

Last weekend I made a crazy road trip to find the above apartment. On Wednesday, I drove from Nashville to Detroit, then on Thursday I went over to London to see places and found the right place, and on Friday, I spent some time with my dad and step-mom (I even helped my step-mom and her friend make pickles. Wow, that's a crazy process), saw some friends, visited my grandpa in the hospital, and drove to Florence, Kentucky, where I spent the night. On Saturday, I drove the rest of the way home.

Some highlights of the trip:

So this is a sign in Kentucky. Its a little hard to see... its there in the background, but its hard to take a photo while driving (the whole pesky eyes on the road thing), but it says "HELL IS REAL." It was right before an exit with an adult bookstore. I've driven past this sign about 100 times, but every time, it and its partners (there are an assortment of similar billboards in this same area of Kentucky on I-65) surprise me. Maybe its just me, but I don't look to billboards for anything much except perhaps the next exit where I can find a big ass drink and a potty. Certainly not salvation. I don't think that is found on a roadside sign.

Another religious oddity. If you look carefully you see the gigantic Jesus rising up out of or sinking into the pond there. This is outside of Cincinnati, OH, and I cannot express how huge it is. The building in the background is a church, but it is the size of a small shopping mall. So, if Jesus is taller than the church, he's huge.

This is the view from the Blue Water Bridge while waiting to pass through customs to Canada. It was pretty but time consuming.

After my adventures in Canada, I stopped before crossing the bridge back to the U.S. in the lovely park on the Canadian side. It was nice just to sit and enjoy a pretty evening for a few minutes. It was completely worth it, and I swear I saw a dude resting in the driver's seat of his van with a cage full of birds in the passenger seat. He was talking to a group of bikers who were also hanging out. Wacky. My camera was pretty close to dead batteries, so I didn't get a photo.



Anyway, I need to pack until my head explodes. Wish me luck.